WOES OF THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY (16) ASUU and Strikes What did our teachers teach us in the university? In my lectures in Public Finance, Political Economy and other Courses, I was taught that political parties and individuals are voted into power on the basis of their manifestoes. People in government express their economic agenda in development plans and annual budgets. In a presidential democracy, the principle of “checks and balances” is a salient feature. This principle is in force, when parliament vets the budgetary estimates before implementation by the executive. In the course of budget review, parliament usually gets input from egg-heads from the universities, to ensure optimal resource allocation. When ASUU go on strike, it implies that they do not know or understand the development model of the government of the day or, that there are no models at all, or that, the leaders of the day do not even understand their model. In dissecting the merits and demerits of the on-going ASUU strike, we need to understand that tertiary education cannot be treated in isolation to other sectors of the economy. There is no sector of the Nigerian economy which is not hampered by funding deficiency. Is it the health sector, infrastructure, Energy, Agriculture, Security, Manufacturing, Water Supply, ETC. We need to understand that there is insecurity everywhere because the youths are unemployed. There is unemployment due to the fact that the Agricultural sector and Manufacturing are not properly funded. Majority of our roads are in a terrible state of dilapidation. (Refer to my earlier article No.5). If the energy sector is adequately funded, I would not be buying fuel everyday to power generator. The list is endless, as every Nigerian is going through one form of hardship due to the fact that government has not optimally channeled resources into areas that would bring succor. The issue of funding of universities ought not to be a matter for strike. The egg- heads have a responsibility to show government how to allocate scarce resources for the overall economic development of the nation. This used to be an area where the Nigerian Economic Society played a prominent part in the past, but since this civilian dispensation, nothing has been heard of the society. It is interesting to note that The Nigerian Economic Society draws their membership largely from the university system. If the society had been active, seminars and workshops would have continually highlighted the need for balanced development. ASSU has a responsibility beyond their parochial interests. It is their responsibility to advice and direct government on the path of good governance. To appear to be holding government to ransom, in order to address their specific need is an indication of the tyranny of the minority. Instead of going on strike, ASUU should understand the tenets of a presidential system and employed the lobbying option with Parliament. What ASUU inadvertently is saying with their strike is that government should continue to operate in arbitrariness. ASUU goes on strike at the middle of a financial year (when the year’s budget is being implemented) and expects government to engage in extra budgetary spending to attend to their demand. I have not heard ASUU officials going to the National Assembly to complain about the budgetary allocation to the universities. It may not be impossible that they do not read these budget estimates as they are presented to the National Assembly and have not done their duty of analyzing such budgets before they are passed. If ASUU has not been doing this and do not think that they should take their case to the National Assembly, for their demand to be captured in a supplementary budget or next year’s budget and continues with this strike, then they have been teaching us nonsense.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 10:54:10 +0000
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