ASUU and Its Worrisome Contributions To The Collapse of The Nigerian Educational Sector

Gone are those days when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) used to be a platform to push for development in the educational sector.

The days of sincere unionism, driven public interest and principled leadership have now made way for cheap blackmail, tissue of lies, evil and desperation driven a gang of morally bankrupt ‘comrades’.

Recent events at the Lagos State University are quite disturbing.

Some months ago, fifteen academic staff of the Lagos State University were dismissed by the institution’s governing council for proven allegations ranging from extortion of students to alteration of student results.

This action of the university authority was greeted with applauds from the general public.

Unfortunately, instead of admitting its own shortcomings and sanitizing its ranks, the Executives of the University’s ASUU branch have rather chosen to toe a failed path by circulating lies and promoting falsehood.

All these in a bid to blackmail the university vice chancellor; and paint a disciplinary process that followed all laid down procedures as “victimization”.

The Governing Council, which is the highest decision making body of the university earned a darling status from ASUU – LASU Executives a year earlier for the rightful demotion of some staff but suddenly became irritating to this same crop of unionists

following another rightful dismissal of erring staff (two of which used to be members of ASUU-LASU excos whose allegations against them have even been substantiated by their own students)!

I was on vanguard news page some hours ago and the statement from the ASUU Lagos Zonal leadership made me weep for Nigeria.

If ASUU – LASU excos, its accomplices at the zonal and perhaps national level are shying away from hard facts and reality, on what moral grounds do they now hold the Nigerian government to accountability when its own house stinks?

Of what essence is a union that frustrates processes that will bring transparency and development to the Nigerian educational system and ensure university students have a better future?

The founding fathers of ASUU who toiled to institutionalize the association in Nigeria will never forgive this crop of blackmailers and stained ‘comrades’ presently leading the union if they fail to retrace their steps.

Moshood Success writes from Abeokuta, Nigeria.