The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said it is not in any way disturbed that the Federal Government has registered the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), as a Trade Union in the Nigerian university system.
The union said even if the Federal Government like, it can go ahead and register up to 1001 unions, among public university lecturers, it will amount to nothing.
The Lagos Zone Coordinator of ASUU, Dr Adelaja Odukoya, said this on Tuesday when Nigerian Tribune asked for ASUU’s reaction to the CONUA’s registration, four years after application for same.
He said he would not want to say much on the matter because it is irrelevant but would simply describe the Federal Government action as “shooting gun at nothing.”
He asked rhetorically if ASUU course asking the Federal Government to make the Nigerian public university system work as applicable to other countries is not in the best interest of Nigeria as a whole.
Similarly, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) lambasts the Federal Government for registering CONUA, saying the action is just to create more confusion and crisis in the Nigerian public university system.
The National Public Relations Officer of NANS, Giwa Yisa Temitope, told Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday that the registration of CONUA is absolutely unnecessary.
NANS said the registration of another union among lecturers particularly now by the Federal Government is a demonstration of failure of the current administration.
The association said the “Divide and Rule Policy” just like the colonialists had done to Nigerian people back then will not in any way do Nigeria any good.
The students said the action would rather draw Nigeria and its university education as well as economy further backwards.
They said even though not all lecturers in the university are members of ASUU, CONUA members are not up to 30 per cent of their entire population nationwide and therefore what would such percentage do in the midst of the majority.
“That is why to us as NANS, we see the development as a very bad omen and it is unfortunate that the political class in the country is continued to cause collision among the people for their selfish interest,” NANS said.
The students said if the system were to be a bit okay, particularly with infrastructural facilities in the academic arena, hostels and laboratories, among others, ASUU would not have genuine course to embark on strike let alone dragged for this long.
“So, anybody who is in support of Federal Government registering CONUA, particularly at this time when is yet to resolved issues with ASUU whose members are in the majority is not being sincere about Nigeria moving forward.
“And it is unfortunate that we keep running Nigeria in this manner,” NANS said.
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