That the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), has embarked on several industrial actions in the last two decades is an understatement. One of such was the two-week warning strike called off by the Union recently. In this interview with BIYI ADEGOROYE, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, a psychiatrist, gives insight into the justification for the strikes, the deteriorating condition in Nigerian universities and why government should give quality education the priority it deserves
What is driving philosophy that is actually behind the current ASUU’s agitation, beyond salary and improved condition of service, even though that is important?
The philosophy behind our struggle is that every Nigerian child deserves to be educated; every Nigerian child deserves to have the best that this country can offer, in terms of education, social, economic and political opportunities. We believe that our struggle is not only humane, but constitutional, because even our Constitution guarantees the right to education. So, to look at it from that perspective, we believe that ASUU has this onerous responsibility of ensuring that every Nigerian child benefits maximally from every opportunity that this country deserves to give to him or her.
In conformity with this, one of your major demands is that the government should spend a minimum of N1.3 trillion on the universities in the country. Why?
Around 2011, there was this outcry from our union about the state of facilities in our universities. That cry by our union caused the government to set up an independent body to look at, and assess the needs of the Nigerian universities. That body was chaired by Prof Mahmood Jega, the immediate past INEC chairman, who was the Executive Secretary of TETFUND at the time.
What the committee came out with was staggering. We saw students sharing toilets that had been converted to hostel accommodation; we saw laboratories where kerosene stoves were being used as bouncing burners in the laboratories; we saw pictures of students listening to lectures standing outside the window. So, that needs assessment led to a report that Nigerian universities need about N1.3 trillion to revitalize the system.
That is what we are talking about. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, in a mark of goodwill came to address the cry of ASUU in 2013 after our strike, decided to release N220 billion out of the N1.3 trillion. That money was to be released over a period of six years and it wasn’t a continuous thing. If the government had consistently released the money as promised initially, as Jonathan did, we would have achieved that N1.3 trillion, even Jonathan did not continue, but at least he started it. If that money had been consistently released, we would have achieved and changed the face of our universities now.
What are you looking at in regards to sustainable funding of our universities which you also mentioned in your previous achievement with the government?
Sustainable funding of our institutions is part of the key areas we are negotiating with the government and we have suggested to them that the envelope budget, in which you open the envelope and whatever you get inside is what you use, was not going to take us out of the doldrums.
What is needed is a needs-based budget; like if we need laboratories, you get money for it; you need classrooms you get money for it, training of human resource, you get money for it. In this envelope budget, it won’t allow universities to operate at their optimal levels. So, one means of sustainable funding is for the government to change from the envelope budget to a need-based budgeting system. Another area of funding we are discussing is that we need restoration and stabilisation funds for each N70 billion. One is to look at and address gaps within the system and the other is to start fresh structures or programmes that will help us to get to a competitive level globally.
We have also suggested that as a means of sustainable funding, the government should commit at least 15 per cent of its budget, not even the 25 per cent suggested by UNESCO. We suggested to the government that starting at 15 per cent was going to be difficult for them, so start with a two per cent increase annually. So, if the government has started with that in 2025, it will be nine per cent in 2026, in 2027, 11 per cent, and so on until we get to 15 per cent. Our union doesn’t think that is difficult for the government to do. So, these are the means we have suggested to the government to sustain the funding to our tertiary institutions.
How do you see the government’s failure to meet its side of the bargain, given the fact that the government reached this decision with ASUU as far back as 2009?
Sometimes, when people talk about how the government is unable to meet ASUU’s demands or how the government was forced into an agreement, that argument ignores the fact that these agreements are supposed to be regularly reviewed. So, if you sign an agreement in 2025 with the government and you have 2028 to review the agreement, at that point, come and say to the other party and say ‘gentlemen, we can’t do this thing we agreed on three years ago. Can we do it another way?’ Then, we would engage.
That is the essence of this negotiation, but the government will never come to the table to negotiate, to tell us what their challenges are. They had challenges in 1991 and 1992, when Prof Attahiru Jega and his leadership then offered a way out. Why can’t they come back to us? We believe that the government lacks respect for intellectuals in this country and the fact that education is not a priority to our leaders. If they had respect for intellectuals and also saw education as a priority, they would have come back and fashioned a way forward. We should not see ourselves as antagonists. We need to see how we can play complementary roles.
ASUU has never claimed to be superior or that our knowledge is unassailable. What we are saying is that we are open to whatever ideas and suggestions that they have and we just hope that the government can listen and see what is reasonable.
Another angle to this is university lecturers’ salary. It is said that your salaries and allowances have stagnated for about 16 years. To what extent is that true?
Well, we had an agreement in 2009 which had two tables of salaries. The second table was to be used after three years and was the basis for the next renegotiation. Since 2009 till date, the government has not gone back to that table. And so, when we argue that our salary has not changed, we are saying that what we agreed with you as basis for further increase in our salary, you have not gone back to it in the last 16 years. That is the point we are making. Of course, the government would argue that they have given minimum wage. It was an award. They gave N40,000 across board and that is not how salary can be assessed and scientifically arrived at.
To what effect has this condition of service and poor facilities affected the JAPA syndrome among university lecturers?
It is obvious. Former Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof Ogundipe, said about 200 lecturers left the university in his time, and you see that number increases every day.
Do you have the figure for the whole country?
I don’t have the entire figure. But if you look at what our salaries are today, you will understand why people have to leave. People leave for two reasons. One is that the facilities are not there to enjoy their specialties. A lot of people have left because of that. And then there are those who have left because of low salaries.
Nigeria pays the least salaries for its academics in Africa. The only country that is ahead of us, before the last is Zimbabwe. Countries like Egypt, Uganda give their lecturers $4,000 equivalent in a month, but what we get here is $320 a month. How would a Nigerian in Uganda leave and return to Nigeria to earn that because Nigeria is his country to take $320?
And then, for us to improve our ranking internationally, we need to have foreign scholars in our system. How would they come to Nigeria with this kind of salary? Coincidentally, our leaders, including the current Minister of Education, have lived abroad and know what is obtained there. In fact, at our first meeting with him, we asked Dr. Tunji Alausa, at one of our earliest meetings, if our salaries ought to be increased, and he said yes and further said a Nigerian professor should not earn anything less than $2,000. But he is the one that is even arguing that the 35 per cent increment we have rejected is what it should be. I mean there are many contradictions.
I’m looking at the issue of quality of education. How has this impacted the quality of education given to Nigerian students now?
Of course, our students are not adequately exposed to what they ought to be exposed to. They don’t do the practicals they are supposed to do. They don’t have all the exposures they need. A student is studying Archeology and from the first year to the last, he can’t visit any archeological site in this country, yet they get a university degree. Would you say that is quality? A student is doing Medical Laboratory Science and does not have access to basic equipment like the laboratory facility needed for the course, whether its microscope or whatever. A student is studying Computer Sciences and he does have a computer he is working with from Year One to his graduation. That cannot give quality.
Some of our children in the universities do complain about this…
I am a doctor. I’m a psychiatrist and I can tell you that in Jos, where I work, professors are leaving. At that level and traveling abroad.
You have been able to reach a compromise for now. How hopeful are you that the government is going to meet up to its side of the bargain?
A warning strike is what it is. We have given the warning, and we believe that the government has listened and we are not willing to pass any definite comment yet. But we have suspended the strike so that students can go back to class, and that we are ready for peace. We have spoken to the government in a very fair and reasonable manner. But we have the capacity to be as tough as inflexible as we can be.
We have given the government four weeks; it is something that is in our DNA and we will not hesitate to pull out that traits in us at any time. Being gentle or talking with them on the table does not mean that we do not know where the streets are; does not mean we cannot set ‘fire’ anywhere if we want to. We have that capacity and we just hope that government will not allow us to go that far.
Besides budget, are you looking at IGR and what do you think will be the solution to funding of education in Nigeria?
I know that the government has the capacity to fund education in Nigeria. If you look at the area of waste, you will find that the government has money to fund education. In the last one or two years, state governments have quadrupled what they used to get. It is in this country that we were told that governors have spent N900 billion on entertainment. Some N30 billion, some N20 billion and all that. How can we say that they can’t fund education? We believe they can and we are insisting they should.
The Union and stakeholders are clamouring for the implementation of the Mimmie Briggs panel report. Do you believe its implementation will bring the way forward?
It is the basis for the harmony for this current salary structure. Our members are tired of the current structure and we believe our increment in salary is central. In fact, let me tell you, if the government agrees to do everything that we are asking, but our salaries not improved, we would still go on an action. You have just attended the inaugural of Hassan Sunmonu Centre for Leadership and Governance titled “Democracy and the Dynamics of Development in Africa.” What is your view about the pioneer NLC President in Nigeria, Alhaji Sumonu, who is one of the trustees of the NLC? Any time that Comrade Sumonu is talking to you, he will talk about the place of God in what he is doing. That has been one of his trademarks.
And I believe that the Centre will benefit from the fear of God for which he is known. ASUU will continue to stand with the centre to ensure that these principles that our trustees, our father has fought for over the years are sustainable. There is something that I have not said about our Trustee, Hassan Sumonu since I started interacting with him is that he is a very religious man.
What is your view on the relevance of the leadership centre?
In our union when he sits as a Trustee, we talk about transparency, accountability, courage, trust, patriotism, teamwork, solidarity with our comrades in the labour union. These are the principles that have been tested and we have found them to be that we need to remain relevant. One person cannot work without the other. Unless we are accountable, unless our leaders are accountable, unless we work with transparency, we cannot succeed in this country. Like someone said some time ago, we have liberated democracy, but we have not been able to liberate the democratic process. And that is the challenge that we have today in this country. Where you want to start election, you keep money for the judges and others to rig the election. One follows the other. It is just sad.
