DEMANDS THAT GOVERNMENT BACK CHANGES WITH IMPROVED FUNDING AND
DEMOCRATIC MANAGEMENT
Press Statement
The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) welcomes the recent changes at
the Lagos State University (LASU) unveiled by the State government. However we
are quick to point out that all of these would amount to nothing if they are not
backed by improved funding and democratic management of the institution.
According to the Lagos state government, LASU would now be a
residential institution; also a new single 5-year tenure has been approved for
Vice Chancellors while the age-long demand of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) for 70 years retirement age for professors has now been
approved.
To ensure that all of these changes lead to significant progress
in the university, the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) calls for increase in
the budgetary allocation to the Lagos State University. At the moment, LASU
receives very low allocation - a fact that is responsible for the alarming
infrastructural deficit in the University as well the deplorable learning
environment.
We make this call mindful that more often than not, capitalist
politicians in Nigeria are fond of announcing big reforms without backing these
with the needed resources for their full realization. It is our strong
belief however that any genuine reform in LASU has to be backed with sufficient
funds to begin to address all of the challenges under which the institution
suffers. Otherwise it would fail.
For instance, the only realistic way to turn the decision to
covert LASU into a residential institution into reality is for the state
government to release funds for the immediate construction of decent and
affordable hostels that are adequate for the entire students’ population. Any
other way, especially through the so-called Public Private Partnership (PPP),
will only lead to the situation prevalent in other universities across the
country where hostel accommodation is inadequate and unaffordable to a majority
of students from poor working class background. To avoid this kind of ugly
situation, the ERC calls on the Ambode-led state government to immediately come
out with a plan to use public resources to provide decent hostel accommodation
that can be affordable to all students.
So also is the need for democratic running of LASU. Without
greater democracy in the running of the institution, we fear that a single
five-year tenure for Vice Chancellors would not automatically bring peace and
tranquility to the institution. For instance over the years, staff and students
unions in LASU have always accused one Vice chancellor after another of
arbitrariness, corruption and despotism. Also, the state government has been
known to contribute to some of these crises by regularly interfering in the
University and backing the anti-worker policies of the university
administration. All of these are however possible because like most
universities across the country, students and workers have no real voice or
influence in how LASU is run. Policies and important decisions are often
dictated by governing councils and Senate that do not fully represent the real
stake holders in the university community which are the students and members of
staff. This is why it was possible for a Senate dominated by supporters of the
erstwhile Vice Chancellor Prof. Obafunwa to withdraw the PhD certificate of the
ASUU Chairman in order to victimize him. This was also why it was possible for
the university administration to interfere in the students’ union elections
last session by declaring a candidate ineligible because they feared a
students’ union under his leadership could be too radical.
In our view therefore, the best way to prevent crises in future is
for the undemocratic process of decision-making in LASU to be fundamentally
changed. Otherwise, the public would soon be surprised to find that despite a
single 5-year tenure, LASU is still in the news for one crisis or the other. In
essence, the ERC demands that LASU be fully democratized through the
involvement of elected representatives of students and staff unions in all
decision making organs (governing council, senate etc) of the institution.
In conclusion, while welcoming the steps already taken, we appeal
to the Ambode-led state government to increase funding to LASU as well as
democratize the running of the institution. These, in our honest opinion, are
the best ways to begin to reposition the Lagos State University (LASU) which
has, over the years, been battered by one crisis or the other.
Hassan Taiwo Soweto Michael Ogundele
National Coordinator (07033697259) National Secretary
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