“With this APC
administration, if we are not careful, all of the gains of the 2013 ASUU
struggle may go down the drain” – ASUU leader
Report by Akande
Daniel
The
Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and the Academic Staff Union of the
Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja chapter, jointly organized a public
symposium at the Faculty of Law, Mini-campus of the University of Abuja. This
symposium was held on Tuesday, 15th of December, 2015. The theme of
the symposium was “Buhari Regime: A new dawn for the education sector?” The
sub-theme centered on “building an Independent, Virile and Democratic Students
Union: Issues and Challenges”.
In
preparation for the symposium, members of the ERC had moved around some higher
institutions in Abuja and nearby Niger and Nassarawa states to circulate
leaflets and posters to mobilize for the program. Indeed the symposium was a
success. More than anything, it showed the possibility of bringing students and
workers together in the coming period for the collective struggle ahead of us.
Participants
at the symposium included comrades from the ERC branch at the Federal Polytechnic
Bida, Niger State. The speakers were Tunde Aremu - Policy and Campaigns Manager
of Actionaid Nigeria, Benjamin Ugheoke - the Chairperson, Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU) Uniabuja Branch, Abdulfatai Jimoh - the Chairperson of
ASUU at the Federal University of Technology Minna, Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto
- ERC National Coordinator, Adjan Oyin Esther – Speaker, Students’ Union of the
University of Abuja. Nda-Umar Usman - the immediate-past National Secretary Academic
Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) was unable to come but sent a solidarity
message, which was read-out to the audience.
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| DSM Stall |
The
program started with solidarity songs; followed by introductory remarks by comrade
Dimeji Macaulay - the ERC Northern Zone Coordinator. He explained what the ERC
stands for and the objective of the symposium. He further explained that the symposium
was organized to heighten the consciousness of the students and prepare them
for the forthcoming neo-liberal attacks on public education. Already the
education sector is in crisis. He cited the example of the University of Abuja which
you would expect should occupy the attention of government being that it is
located at the Federal Capital Territory. Regardless of this, the University has had a
running problem with the accreditation of its Law programme which has led to the
halt of admission into the Law department. Few years ago, the same school was
battling with the National Universities Commission (NUC) over the de-accreditation
of its engineering course.
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| Dimeji Macaulay declaring open the symposium |
Tunde
Aremu who spoke first explained that during the last 2015 general election, he
was one of those who felt that Buhari was a lesser evil. However given the
pro-capitalist character of his government, it is not possible to begin to talk
about a new dawn for education sector. He said he was among the students, under
the Lanre Arogundade-led National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who
organized in 1984 against commercialization of education by the Buhari regime.
He urged students and workers to organize and be prepared to resist neo-liberal
attacks on education. According to him, when you have in a government people like
Fashola and Fayemi who implemented neo-liberal polices of privatization and commercialization
in Lagos and Ekiti States where they governed respectively, one should not
expect anything less. With recent development, the best method is to organize
and be prepared to resist with mass actions. He further affirmed that
privatization has never worked and his robbery in disguise.
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| Tunde Aremu Action Aid |
On
his part, Benjamin Ugheoke, the ASUU chairperson of the University of Abuja,
delivered an inspirational speech which was well received by the audience with
a big applause. He spoke on the topic Student Union Movement: The Missing “U”.
The “U” represents Unity. The vital points raised in his speech includes that
the primary purpose of the Student Union Movement is to ensure the welfare of
its members studying in various institutions in the country. He further
explained that welfare is meant to be the totality of the well-being of the
students. However in contrast to these stated objectives, it is very difficult
to tell whether most of the Student Union Movements that exist across the
various campuses in Nigeria understand the original concept of the movement and
if they do, whether they do understand how to achieve this purpose.
He
also stated that the Student Union Movement is a pressure group that agitates
for and insists on the right things to be done, not just in the immediate
institution’s boundaries, but in the overall affairs of the state. It is clear
therefore, that the Student Union Movement and other pressure groups such as
ASUU share the same vision and have a common enemy - the oppressor. Ordinarily,
this should lay the basis for unity of purpose and action. However, “this has
not held true for the SUG and ASUU. This is because the “U” that ought to stand
for Unity has been replaced by potent forces of division, so much so that the
entire Student Movement in the country is in disarray. The center can no longer
hold on and resist the capitalistic forces and influences of the enemies of the
Students”. He finally concluded by saying “we must return to our roots, we must
organize ourselves against opportunists who have taken over the Student Union
Movement, it is time to confront the oppressors with the raw facts that will
debilitate their machinations; it is time to enthrone the true democratic
visions of the Student Union Movement. The time to act is now, so that we can
ensure access to affordable quality education for the nation’s Student. It is
time to bring back the missing “U”.
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| Benjamin Ogheoke, Chair ASUU Uniabuja |
Shortly
after this, Okenwa Enyeribi, the Head of the Revolutionary Council of the
Nigeria People and also a member of #Bring Back our Girls Campaign group, gave
a solidarity speech. He mentioned in his speech that negligence of the Students’
Union leaders is one of the reasons why problems fester in the education sector.
He explained that in the past, the voice of the Nigerian Students was a potent
force that governments could only ignore to their peril. However, nowadays so-called
students union and NANS leaders have sold out students’ rights to the
politicians, with the aim of collecting money in return. He also mentioned that
there are factions within the students’ movement. He also talked about the leadership of NANS,
he said NANS leaders of nowadays are more of political jobbers, who are lapdogs
to the politicians. He ended his speech by calling for total rejection of the
anti-social media bill which he described as undemocratic.
Abdulfatai
Jimoh, the chairperson of the Federal University of Technology Minna, also gave
a solidarity speech. He started by asking what the current generation intends to
leave for those coming behind. He said that public education is in shamble but
ASUU will not give up on the struggle for better funding of education because
no country can develop without quality of education. He appreciated ERC for
organizing the program. According to him, the first trade union that will have
problem with the Buhari regime might be ASUU. This is because of the feelers
that the government may not be inclined to follow-up with past agreements and
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). If this happen, all the gains of ASUU’s
struggle of 2013 will go down the drain. He said the body language of the new regime
is not what can be taken serious. While allegedly recovering looted funds, they
have not told the populace how much have been recovered and who are those that
have returned the looted fund.
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| Abdul Fatai Jimoh Chair ASUU FUT Minna |
In
his contribution, comrade Soweto appreciated those that were present and called
on them to join the organization. Quoting intermittently from the Needs
Assessment of Nigeria Universities, he exposed in graphic details the total
decay in public education. He referred to situations in some higher
institutions where students receive lectures in ports pavilion, cafeteria etc.
In some institutions, there are laboratories without equipments and even no
power supply. Despite the resources at the command of the country, Nigeria
cannot provide hostel accommodation for up to 50 percent of its students’
population - a situation that now manifests in overcrowding and terrible
conditions in the hostels.
It
is unfortunate that while establishing a Law faculty is easy even for private
Universities, yet a public University of the stature of Uniabuja cannot boast
of full accreditation of its law programme. He said ERC strongly believes that
education is not a business venture. This is why we are opposed to education
commercialization. We must unite to fight to make it free and well funded
because education is an investment in society. He further revealed how the
Tinubu and Fashola governments destroyed public education in Lagos state. Tinubu
returned schools to the original private owners who had been compensated when
the schools were taken over while Fashola increased fees at the Lagos State
University (LASU) beyond what the poor could avoid. Now their successor,
Governor Ambode, is following the same trend as attempts were recently made to
increase acceptance fee which was only reversed after the union protested. The
excuse of economic crisis that the ruling class is now trying to use as a ploy to
launch neo-liberal attacks on Nigerians is not acceptable and must be defeated.
We must not be fooled by such excuses. As students in South Africa showed
recently, it is possible to win concessions on the issues of fees and funding
of public education even in the time of economic crisis.
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| HT Soweto, National Coordinator ERC |
He
identified decadence in Nigeria student movement as a product of retreat in
radical ideology. According to him, there is a need for rank and file of
students to begin to fight to reclaim their union and by so doing linking that
with the question of reclaiming NANS or forming an alternative national student
platform. This would require transformation of the entire student movement.
According to him, criminal connivance of some president of students unions with
the rightwing leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students
(NANS) is also responsible for the complete capitulation of the platform. When
exactly did any union publicly condemn NANS awards to corrupt politicians? When
exactly did any union mobilize against the NANS leaders when they criminally
sold out students struggle? He called for independent unionism and respect of
the right of Uniabuja students to democratically elect their union leaders in a
free and fair election devoid of authorities’ interference. At the University of
Abuja, the authorities recently suspended union elections and handpicked so-called
executives for the union. This in effect mean an illegitimate union leadership
tied to the apron string of the authorities. Only the Students Representative
Council (SRC) was elected and even this is weak when it comes to defending
students interests. He ended by saying we have to unite to fight and build the movement
to end the rot in Nigeria’s education sector and this in effect would require a
movement to end capitalism and transform society along socialist lines.
Also,
the speaker of the Uniabuja Students Union Representative Council in person of Adjan
Oyin Esther delivered a solidarity message. In her speech, she said that she
was not happy with the way things are going on campus and the student movement
as a whole. She ventilated her anger on the situation on campus and called for
unity and support from the staff unions for their struggle for independent
unionism. She said that NANS has degenerated and that she was shocked, when she
sees the way and manner in which the leaders of the association run after
politicians to present awards in exchange for money instead of fighting for the
interest of students. She called on ERC to continue to synergize with like
minds to fight to reclaim the student movement.
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| Adjan Oyin Esther Speaker Students' Union Uniabuja |
During
the question and answer session, an angry student from the chemistry department
of the University of Abuja made the following telling comment: “all my stay
studying chemistry in this University, no practical experiment was conducted
because there was no laboratory!” According
to him “In a department like mine, which is chemistry, we have not had a single
laboratory practical because of lack of laboratories equipments and facilities,
and fellow students will still be proud that they are students schooling
without having a practical experience, and in months to come we will become graduates,
i wonder which kind of company will employ us”.
Comrade
Akande Daniel shared his experience as a one-time treasurer of the NANS/JCC Oyo
State and a Mobilisation Officer of the Zone-D.
However, he had to resign because of the numerous nefarious activities of
association. He said NANS can no longer pilot the affairs of students and that
is why an organization like the ERC is needed. He concluded his words that students
should join the ERC, which will at all times wage struggle against outrageous
fees, fight for the respect of democratic rights, independent and virile
student union, improvement in living and working conditions and against education
commercialization and other neo-liberal attacks on education. In all, the
program was inspiring. About five students signed to join the ERC.
