folash:
Hi prof, to say av taken my time to read and digest ur post,and all the comments on this thread is an understatement, and I wanna say thnks for taking out ur tym to elucidate all on ds vry sensitive issue; even if u weren't totally factual in all regards,which is vry understandable considering the fact that u also under the ASUU umbrella.
Buh your last comment to oxford in which u called him a coward was totally uncalled for,I undrstnd dt u myt be miffed with his earlier utterances which ws rude and unrefined, buh dere ws rily no need for exchanging words wiv him,considering somebody of ur calibre and position. And in actual fact cos dere ws absolutely no lie in wat he said. U actually at a point in this thread agreed dt u weren't gona pay ASUU d whole sum they are demanding if u were d president, and u also agreed dt we have some inept lecturers in our universities which made u raise d question of where and how to get better lecturers.
Your earlier response to oxford and the likes of him ws full of maturity,and it wud be v[b]
Hi prof, to say av taken my time to read and digest ur post,and all the comments on this thread is an understatement, and I wanna say thnks for taking out ur tym to elucidate all on ds vry sensitive issue; even if u weren't totally factual in all regards,which is vry understandable considering the fact that u also under the ASUU umbrella.
Buh your last comment to oxford in which u called him a coward was totally uncalled for,I undrstnd dt u myt be miffed with his earlier utterances which ws rude and unrefined, buh dere ws rily no need for exchanging words wiv him,considering somebody of ur calibre and position. And in actual fact cos dere ws absolutely no lie in wat he said. U actually at a point in this thread agreed dt u weren't gona pay ASUU d whole sum they are demanding if u were d president, and u also agreed dt we have some inept lecturers in our universities which made u raise d question of where and how to get better lecturers.
Your earlier response to oxford and the likes of him ws full of maturity,and it wud be v[/b]
Hi prof, to say av taken my time to read and digest ur post,and all the comments on this thread is an understatement, and I wanna say thnks for taking out ur tym to elucidate all on ds vry sensitive issue; even if u weren't totally factual in all regards,which is vry understandable considering the fact that u also under the ASUU umbrella.
Buh your last comment to oxford in which u called him a coward was totally uncalled for,I undrstnd dt u myt be miffed with his earlier utterances which ws rude and unrefined, buh dere ws rily no need for exchanging words wiv him,considering somebody of ur calibre and position. And in actual fact cos dere ws absolutely no lie in wat he said. U actually at a point in this thread agreed dt u weren't gona pay ASUU d whole sum they are demanding if u were d president, and u also agreed dt we have some inept lecturers in our universities which made u raise d question of where and how to get better lecturers.
Your earlier response to oxford and the likes of him ws full of maturity,and it wud be well appreciated if we all continue on that line.

a big thank you

Prof. First I gotta commend your efforts.
I've read through most of the questions and your reply here and I feel your answers have been objective enough. However I still feel and strongly believe that this wasn't the best course of action and ultimately ASUU won't get all of their demands met because of the kind of government we have.

Academicians/Lecturers are supposed to be intellectuals and I feel a plan/strategy other than an indefinite strike should have surfaced, but hey they passed through the same system right?. Where I feel ASUU went terribly wrong is not carrying the students along. Before your explanation, honestly I wasn't even taking sides. I was mad at both ASUU and the FG. Now if ASUU/Lecturers had taken us along and given us proper education on why the strike action is imperative like you have outlined we would have gone into this together and it would have been ASUU/The students vs The FG. Sir, power has always and will always belong to the people. Nothing beats people with a strong resolve especially the youths. But ASUU failed woefully and the people you are "fighting" for have become tools strongly condemning your effort firstly cus it affects them directly and they don't explicitly see why you striking in the first place and most importantly cuz of the government propaganda. You have to understand that one thing our government excels well is in propaganda and since we were never united in the first place the government saw this and exploited it. I know of lecturers that are actually intellectual, think outside the box and don't see themselves as demi gods, Sadly most of them are not interested in holding union posts, the ones that do don't fight intellectual battles but give what has always been obtained "strike actions". Same goes for NANS, there is a rumour making rounds that the NANS president was silenced with tens of millions by "the govt" and I have cause to believe this because what sane student union wouldn't have organised mass protests? The first option to the resolution of a crisis is never sensible dialogue and If the only thing govt. understand is protest, rallies, civil demonstration/disobedience then we have to give it to them. Honestly just 2 weeks of demonstrations in strategic locations en masse in the 36 states at the beginning of this wouldn't lead to the current impasse we are facing.. This is where ASUU has always gotten it wrong. NANS president said he wrote a letter to both Gov. Suswam and Dr. Nasir fagge. The former replied but the ASUU team didn't even bother to reply. Why? He feels we are "inferior", not useful, we don't matter? But he wants the students to have is back/understand? Really?..

Idrismusty97: Comment like this is what made me come up with that tone.You keep mentioning your struggle,your sweat and the likes.With wisdom any organization will rise with little or no resources.What i am trying to imply is that ASUU did not contribute to the success of unilorin period.

Thats okay. Can we leave the Unilorin issue now?

prof.femi:


I am saddened that you turn out to be a lying coward. Is this the import of our discussion? Thank God people can read for themselves.

I knew that was what he was doing all along. Treat him as the son of perdition.

prof.femi:
Thats okay. Can we leave the Unilorin issue now?

yea,thanks for your understanding.It seems government has finnaly implement thier "no work no pay policy".will ASUU still continue with the strike?

Idrismusty97: yea,thanks for your understanding.It seems government has finnaly implement thier "no work no pay policy".will ASUU still continue with the strike?

Let me ask you a question. If ASUU caves in and allows school fees to be jerked up to, say, N500,000 per session, how is that a loss to the union? Please think carefully about that, and I think you are more likely to hope ASUU doesn't take that route. Actually, I do not think ASUU will break. It is not going to be easy, but I think ASUU is prepared.

There are however those that, were the strike to continue for long enough, would simply leave the country.

drered: Where I feel ASUU went terribly wrong is not carrying the students along. Before your explanation, honestly I wasn't even taking sides.

I agree with you. ASUU could have done a much better job getting the facts out. I opened this thread partly to right that. There is a chance that government will not accede to ASUU's demands at the end of the day, but the more likely scenario is that both parties will shift ground. I just hope months won't be lost before that happens. The ball is currently in FG's court though.

chreld_b:


You admit that while in a Nigerian University you never saw a microorganism, and could not appreciate the relevance of biochemical pathways. If the laboratories in your department were relatively well equipped I am sure that you will agree with me that you would have had access to at least a microscope to view any prokaryotic cell available to you. And E.coli would definitely not be an exception due to its abundance.

I am not denying the fact that our Nigerian universities require funding. It is so visible. However, I am angry with the way it is being handled by ASUU. There are several ways to handle issues. I hate unions. They stink. They only want you to bow to their needs. They are lazy, never do well mindsets. Let us be honest, what has the unions done for this country, what positive change. They are selfish. That is my annoyance.

Have ASUU agreed for a framework to understudy the Nigerian universities. They collected 1 year unpaid allowance and they did not tell the general public about it. What is that telling you. I am sorry I am not address your points directly. Have universities approach Corporate Nigeria to request for financial assistance. BIG NO. For example, I did not see E. Coli (not for 1 day) - What stops my stupid lecturer to take us all out to a Laboratory or Research center and show us these micro-organisms. Will that cost so much? What stop the lecturer from writing to GSK, requesting for fund to purchase a microscope. What stops a lecturer to change his curriculum or update his curriculum - you want to tell me MONEY. ABEG ABEG ABEG, no follow vex me this evening.

texazzpete: I am totally thrilled that you have taken yourself and your inane, defeatist logic out of this conversation. I read your initial posts with mounting disbelief that anyone could be so silly.

You write beautifully by the way

lockedOut:
We can all sit here and talk about how bad the federal government is but now to the ASUU case, if the federal government shold accede to the demands of ASUU they should also include a performance clause into what ever MOU they sign, put correct checks and balances in place to curtail the obvious excesses of the NIgerian lecturers. Setup a committee/board that will look into cases of molestation of students and also lecturers who feel aggrieved with the system. I will spare the readers some of these excesses but we all know them. That way a lecturer knows he is not above the LAW since in most cases there are no laws guarding the lecturers

TO the issue at and and a resolution to the problem. I will suggest the lecturers be ready for a pay cut (as it seems the federal government cannot really fund education in its entirety which is quite obvious as there are many lingering problems that facing education alone will be catalytic on the environment. As harsh as this may sound, parents must begin to bear some cost of education. We can have a tier structural system whereby a student pays 50 40 30 and 20 percent of his/her schools from year one to the finals. Also universities can do away with some support staffs in exchange for students doing this roles and in turn using their salaries to pay for their school fees and also have something to save for themselves.

Also the federal government can set-up a bank or set-up a framework whereby students can access interest free loans to pay for their tuition fees, in exchange that the bank will be with the original copy their certificates. It is obvious the federal government cannot fully pay for the cost of education in the country and the best way to go about this is having a tiered structured paying system (whichever way it pleases everyone). Private individuals can be brought in to fund varsities with the option of being part owners and setting up a framework whereby the part owners will get their money over a stretch of time. Some of these ideas are quite ambiguous right now but I will expatiate later if clarifications are needed.

There are many other solutions at hand that can help reduce the incessant ASUU strike. I believe our think within the box attitude is what is still making ASUU go on strike while we agree that the sum required to resuscitate the ailing Nigerian educational system is gargantuan a fit all solution exists though everyone will have to bare the cost of this solution. Both the parents, the federal goverment and the lecturers themselves. ...
.

!!!!

Idrismusty97: Here is your ranking prof.

http://www.4icu.org/ng/

Unilorin came 5th and i assured you prof,The longer the strike progresses,unilorin will rise to the top in Nigeria and even african.

Please this is not about Unilorin. I am a former student of Unilorin and i've realised that most people who praise the school for it's "achievements" are people who have never been immersed in other university communities in Nigeria. And on top of that, there's an effective PR mechanism in that school. I came to ABU Zaria and all of a sudden Unilorin was nothing to me anymore both in terms of staff quality and infrastructure.
With that being said, let's get back to ASUU vs FG

Boss13: They collected 1 year unpaid allowance and they did not tell the general public about it. What is that telling you.

Please lets stick to facts. FG released 30 billion on allowances and told *the whole world* about it. They want the universities to distribute this "up-front" to serve as a poisoned chalice. Although university managements are under intense pressure from other unions to give them their shares, ASUU has rejected such, in no uncertain terms. If you do a simple Google search, you will find reports about ASUU urging Unilorin not to disburse said funds. Lets stick with facts. It helps a lot.

prof.femi:


Please lets stick to facts. FG released 30 billion on allowances and told *the whole world* about it. They want the universities to distribute this "up-front" to serve as a poisoned chalice. Although university managements are under intense pressure from other unions to give them their shares, ASUU has rejected such, in no uncertain terms. If you do a simple Google search, you will find reports about ASUU urging Unilorin not to disburse said funds. Lets stick with facts. It helps a lot.

Prof you have not answered my other questions. I am probably not right about that but please answer my other questions. Should I restate them again?

prof.femi:


Let me ask you a question. If ASUU caves in and allows school fees to be jerked up to, say, N500,000 per session, how is that a loss to the union? Please think carefully about that, and I think you are more likely to hope ASUU doesn't take that route. Actually, I do not think ASUU will break. It is not going to be easy, but I think ASUU is prepared.

There are however those that, were the strike to continue for long enough, would simply leave the country.

You are right,i will certainly hope ASUU doesn't take that route. But if it will be a must i will rather use the money to acquire quality education in Ghana or elsewhere not Nigeria. I am sure ASUU must have thought of this government tactics before striking. I wonder what will be your counterattack.

Idrismusty97: Here is your ranking prof.http://www.4icu.org/ng/
Unilorin came 5th and i assured you prof,The
longer the strike progresses,unilorin will rise to
the top in Nigeria and even african.

Different organisations churning out lists and rankings. Webometric ranked universities based on web hits and used that as a yardstick to determine the top universities in Nigeria. What is their(4icu) criteria for ranking? Do they have personnel on ground to actually go to these universities and check out their facilities/infrastructure? Do they have access to staff list and all that?.. Anyone can open a site/blog and make a list so give us something credible we can work with..

Boss13: Have universities approach Corporate Nigeria to request for financial assistance. BIG NO.

Ha, Boss, don't make me laugh. You say it with such emphasis that one would think you know if for a fact. *Personally*, I have reached out to companies in different ways. I know many others who have done the same. Of course, they didn't bite, and for good reason. For starters:
1. Competition in Nigerian industry has not reached a stage where companies really gain much by innovating (I expect top be called out on this one)
2. Consequent on 1, the companies see nothing I (or others) have to offer them that will affect their bottomline (remember, they are profit-making entities)

Long story short, you actually don't *know* most of what you think you *know* about this system.

* just to be clear, when I say "reach out" here, I do not mean appealing for sponsorship of programs etc. I mean funding serious work.

Idrismusty97: But if it will be a must i will rather use the money to acquire quality education in Ghana or elsewhere not Nigeria.

Ghana...You see now? I wish Nigerians would wake up and smell the roses, and realize that Ghana is fast becoming the sub-regional power (wonder why?) I frankly don't know the contents of ASUU's playbook, but I don't think any sophisticated countermeasures are needed.

drered:

Different organisations churning out lists and rankings. Webometric ranked universities based on web hits and used that as a yardstick to determine the top universities in Nigeria. What is their(4icu) criteria for ranking? Do they have personnel on ground to actually go to these universities and check out their facilities/infrastructure? Do they have access to staff list and all that?.. Anyone can open a site/blog and make a list so give us something credible we can work with..

We are done with the unilorin issue for now.Sorry

prof.femi:


Ha, Boss, don't make me laugh. You say it with such emphasis that one would think you know if for a fact. *Personally*, I have reached out to companies in different ways. I know many others who have done the same. Of course, they didn't bite, and for good reason. For starters:
1. Competition in Nigerian industry has not reached a stage where companies really gain much by innovating (I expect top be called out on this one)
2. Consequent on 1, the companies see nothing I (or others) have to offer them that will affect their bottomline (remember, they are profit-making entities)

Long story short, you actually don't *know* most of what you think you *know* about this system.

Well why I say a big no is because I am yet to get a proposal on my table from universities and trust me I get loads of proposal. I have designated a whole team to review proposals alone (phewww). Well of course I will turn it down because I don't think they have anything to offer the profit line of my organisation because they are busy going on strike instead of thinking. My opinion may change when I begin to see reasonable and positive change from them. Also, for emotional reasons, I may not turn down my school because it added positively to my life, regardless of that my stupid HOD.

Now you can see what Corporate Nigeria thinks about lecturers. I can tell you foreign companies rarely turn down academics and if they do, they sent a well written apology letter to them. It is good you started this forum, so that you can ascertain the general perception of the public towards you and your colleagues. You can be that change only if you believe.

Boss13: What stops my stupid lecturer to take us all out to a Laboratory or Research center and show us these micro-organisms. Will that cost so much? What stop the lecturer from writing to GSK, requesting for fund to purchase a microscope.

People who do not appreciate the difficulties that stop others from doing something almost always do the same, when they are in the same position. How can you suggest that a lecturer spend his own money to take a whole class out to a lab? Do you have any idea how much money and effort would go into that? I know lecturers who are "stupid" enough to pull stunts like this, but to treat it like an obligation is not right at all, to put it mildly.

What stops a lecturer to change his curriculum or update his curriculum

I have addressed the curriculum issue more than once already. Good lecturers still update their teaching materials and curricula. Poor ones don't. Simple as that.

prof.femi:
Ghana...You see now? I wish Nigerians would wake up and smell the roses, and realize that Ghana is fast becoming the sub-regional power (wonder why?) I frankly don't know the contents of ASUU's playbook, but I don't think any sophisticated countermeasures are needed.

Well maybe it is because ghana has proven herself to be ready for the educational hunger of her citizens.i think they budgeted 33% of their annual revenue for education(Not sure).whatever they did,Its works!

prof.femi:

People who do not appreciate the difficulties that stop others from doing something almost always do the same, when they are in the same position. How can you suggest that a lecturer spend his own money to take a whole class out to a lab? Do you have any idea how much money and effort would go into that? I know lecturers who are "stupid" enough to pull stunts like this, but to treat it like an obligation is not right at all, to put it mildly.

Prof so you follow for this same category. Previously, I will assume that the cost may be outrageous but they take out time to think about it. May not turn out as presumed. But imagine the impact. You can try it out. Well I don't know what you teach. But you seem to have a passion for it.

I have addressed the curriculum issue more than once already. Good lecturers still update their teaching materials and curricula. Poor ones don't. Simple as that.

Thank you. No further question on this. Please tell you colleagues to change.

I also have to cite something important based on world bank research. It has been predicted that the Nigerian middle class will grow by 28% in the coming years. What this implies is that the standard of living for many people (especially working class) will improve and they will have enough money to spend. Also, many middle class Nigerians may not want to send their children to Nigerian public universities and over time, there will be huge decrease in the enrolment of students into Nigerian public schools.

A little something for you to think about Prof. Maybe Govt. will go and drag the students from where they are into public universities.

Boss13: Well of course I will turn it down because I don't think they have anything to offer the profit line of my organisation because they are busy going on strike instead of thinking.

First part: right. Second part: wrong. I did say myself that most companies have nothing to gain by investing in risky R & D in Nigeria, so that is just evidence of what I already said. However, the reason why they cannot offer you anything is: they don't have the right tools, and the right guys haven't been employed. Simples.

Look, I know how my friends in the US work, Need something? Have it now. Here, I have to start from building power supplies, and using all sort of contraptions. Speaking for myself again, I have interacted with my peers abroad. Many people at my level have left me in the dust as per training (because I was patriotic enough to stay in the dump) but I am happy to say I am still as creative as the best off them. My ideas are as unique and intriguing as theirs. Why then don't I have their output? I DO NOT HAVE THE FACILITIES AND ENVIRONMENT.

Now you can see what Corporate Nigeria thinks about lecturers. You can be that change only if you believe.

I already know what corporate world thinks about us, and more important, *why*. You're preaching to the choir when you say I can be an agent for change. Why else have I sacrificed the best years of my life??

Nice chatting with you Prof. I pray something positive can be done about the situation on ground. I also pray your colleagues can read our comments and begin to question themselves. Continue with your hard work, the people whose lives you would impact will never forget.

Boss13: Prof so you follow for this same category. But imagine the impact. You can try it out.

Did you see where I said some "silly" lecturers would try that stunt? I am in that category. But I don't expect everyone to have the same worldview as me, and I certainly don't think its an obligation. We took this job for different reasons.

Also, many middle class Nigerians may not want to send their children to Nigerian public universities and over time, there will be huge decrease in the enrolment of students into Nigerian public schools. A little something for you to think about Prof. Maybe Govt. will go and drag the students from where they are into public universities.

Ha, you say it as if this is something to cringe about. The universities are overpopulated by far. I currently teach class sizes between 100 and 150. I would *love* to never teach more than 25 students.

Boss13: Nice chatting with you Prof. I pray something positive can be done about the situation on ground. I also pray your colleagues can read our comments and begin to question themselves. Continue with your hard work, the people whose lives you would impact will never forget.

Likewise bro. All the best.

Boss13: Nice chatting with you Prof. I pray something positive can be done about the situation on ground. I also pray your colleagues can read our comments and begin to question themselves. Continue with your hard work, the people whose lives you would impact will never forget.

Very true.Nice work prof.You prove to be very patience and understanding.Thank you

Pls prof I need your response to my rejoinder..thanks

Idrismusty97: Very true.Nice work prof.You prove to be very patience and understanding.Thank you

No, thank *you* guys. It has been stressful (I still have to tell wifey what I have been up to, so she doesn't start wondering why I spend so much time online ) but I have thoroughly enjoyed interacting with you guys. Although we are officially "enemies" (lol), my favorite is still oxford's "mr. prof, come back here", and ZakiGp who said we have "strike" right in our blood. I thank you all for making this robust.

I will return to the thread from time to time, and will be glad to continue the conversation. I still hope, and I want you all to hope with me, that ASUU strike or no ASUU strike, we can save tertiary education.

awodman: Pls prof I need your response to my rejoinder..thanks

Oh, crikey. I thought I could leave now. Okay, could you refresh me?

Boss13:

I am not denying the fact that our Nigerian universities require funding. It is so visible. However, I am angry with the way it is being handled by ASUU. There are several ways to handle issues. I hate unions. They stink. They only want you to bow to their needs. They are lazy, never do well mindsets. Let us be honest, what has the unions done for this country, what positive change. They are selfish. That is my annoyance.

Have ASUU agreed for a framework to understudy the Nigerian universities. They collected 1 year unpaid allowance and they did not tell the general public about it. What is that telling you. I am sorry I am not address your points directly. Have universities approach Corporate Nigeria to request for financial assistance. BIG NO. For example, I did not see E. Coli (not for 1 day) - What stops my stupid lecturer to take us all out to a Laboratory or Research center and show us these micro-organisms. Will that cost so much? What stop the lecturer from writing to GSK, requesting for fund to purchase a microscope. What stops a lecturer to change his curriculum or update his curriculum - you want to tell me MONEY. ABEG ABEG ABEG, no follow vex me this evening.

. Good to know that you acknowledge the fact that funding is required in Nigerian universities. Your opinion on unions is your opinion and that's ok. However like I have always opined in line with others, it is wrong to generalise and classify all members of ASUU in by a specific stereotype like you are doing. On the issue you raised about corporate Nigeria, I am aware that one of the issues agreed on is for the FGN to compel corporate bodies to invest in and fund research in Tertiary institutions. Now that analogy you used about your lecturer approaching GSK. That falls under corporate social responsibility which is at the complete discretion of the private companies. And whatever they contribute in that respect would be negligible and insignificant. The microscope example we are using is the basic of a lab requirement. What about more expensive equipment that run into tens and hundreds of millions? Hope u catch my drift? Besides if all academics in all departments of all universities in 9JA approach pharmaceutical companies for teaching aid in the name of CSR. What do you think would be the outcome? Your guess is as good as mine.

awodman: I simply asked why tell us you are going on strike because of your allowance(Nasir Fagge was emphatic on this) and along the line you now claim to be fighting for good education..is that not the height of Deceit?

I don't think we need to play with semantics. Whether Fagge said it then or not, reading through my write-up and posts, do you agree that had we just been asking for 92 billion (or whatever) for allowances, the strike would be over now?

Yes the govt has come out to reject the calculations

Okay. So what do the government's own calculations say?

according to them the 30 billion released to governing councils is for starters..the governing councils have been told to pay from that and verify the outstanding payments for onward inclusion in 2014 budget

Not correct at all. The information I have is that governing councils should pay the balance now and for ever from internally generated revenue, which in this case, is a euphemism for "increased school fees".

To the best of my knowledge the ASUU rep led the technical committee on implementation of NEEDS assessment report and wrote the report...why cry wolf over a report in which you drafted?

I frankly do not know who drafted what. However as I said earlier, the government has perfected smoke and mirrors, and ASUU spoke out when it realized *where* that 70 billion was coming from.

Prof please what do you mean by the bolded...isn't the aim making sure that every kobo released to our universities is judiciously used so as to raise the standards

What I meant was, some red tape introduced into the disbursement of funds simply create bottlenecks. I am not by any chance suggesting that checks and balances be removed. I am only saying it could be done without bringing things to a crawl.