ASUU Strike: Rights Group Accuse FG of Undermining Education

ASUU Strike: Rights Group Accuse FG of Undermining Education
...Faults Stand on Negotiation

Human Rights Writers' Association of Nigeria ( HURIWA), a Non-Governmental Organization Tuesday faulted the 36 State Governors and the Federal Government's stand on the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities [ASUU] saying that it was wrong for the State Governors to gang up with the Federal administration to undermine the future of education in Nigeria. HURIWA urged both the Federal Government and the striking university lecturers to constructively conclude the negotiations and sign an agreement that will upgrade the standard of facilities in the public universities to be able to compete favourably with the best in the World in the 21st century.

HURIWA which organized civil society groups and the Nigerian Labour Congress unified support for the striking University teachers, stated in a media release issued and endorsed by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko that, the actions taken so far by the Federal Government to pull out of further negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the decision of the Vice president to rally the support of state Governors against the striking university teachers ,will rather than resolve the lingering bad situation caused by the ongoing strike with the attendant risks to the educational future of the Nigerian youths, aggravate an already tensed atmosphere in the nation's educational sector. Specifically, at a meeting organized by the Vice President Goodluck Jonathan attended by the 36 state Governors, the state chief executives endorsed the position of the Federal Government that it cannot sign an agreement with the striking University teachers that would be binding on state Governments since according to them, Nigeria runs a Federal structure even as some of the Governors threatened legal action against the striking lecturers.

HURIWA faulted that line of thinking of the Governors as pedestrian saying that it is a fact that in a Federal structure as we currently have in Nigeria there is synergy between the various Federating units which is why the National University Commission [NUC] is the sole body that regulates all Universities in Nigeria irrespective of whether these institutions are sponsored by the Federal, State or private investors. The Rights group also opposed the rumoured moves by the Government to introduce high tuition fees for students of public Universities in the country saying that the decision will alienate millions of Nigerians from very poor backgrounds who are also entitled to the universally protected right to education.

It asserted that the outcome of the meeting of the state Governors and the vice president on the ongoing strike in the Nigerian university system shows that those who claimed that Nigerians voted them in as political office holders have lost touch with reality and have decided to gang up so as to undermine the development and progress of the nation's educational sector rather than find lasting, nonpartisan and constructive solution to the lingering crisis of gross underdevelopment of the structures in the entire public university system of Nigeria. The Rights Group which backed the striking lecturers for their commitment to collective bargaining which is lawful in labour law blamed the Federal Government for incompetently managing the crisis in the University system by the use of propaganda through the publicly owned and funded Nigerian Television Authority.

The Group also warned against any attempt by the Federal or State Governments to break the ranks of the striking lecturers because according to it, divide- and -rule tactics does not bring sustainable and result oriented panacea to any problem real or imagined. HURIWA called on Government to be committed and to sign the agreement already reached between it and the University teachers over eight years ago and to stop playing politics with the future of Nigerians.

FG Amnesty Offer Boosts Oil Production - Foreign Minister
Nigeria's oil production is on the rise following the government's offer of amnesty to militants in the Niger Delta the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe has said. Chief Maduekwe made the statement Tuesday at a joint news conference in Abuja with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He gave no figures but said that "the mere perception that peace is coming back" had boosted oil output in recent weeks. Nigeria's production of crude oil has tumbled sharply over the last three years in the face of kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities by Niger Delta militants.

The militants say they want a more equitable distribution of the region's oil wealth. The government calls them criminals but has offered amnesty to any militants who turn in their weapons. Clinton said Nigerian defense officials have made "promising and specific" suggestions about how the United States can help end unrest in the Niger Delta. The secretary of state was due to meet with Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua later in the day, and hold talks with religious leaders and non-governmental organizations. U.S. officials say Clinton is seeking to strengthen U.S. ties with Nigeria while promoting good governance.

Nigeria is widely considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world. It is Clinton's fifth stop on her seven-nation African tour. After Nigeria, she makes stops in Liberia and Cape Verde before returning to Washington later this week. Earlier stops on the trip were Kenya, South Africa, and Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.


Constitution and Electoral Reforms Our Target Legacy - Bankole
The Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, Tuesday said the House of Representatives of the National Assembly under the current dispensation, would want to leave a legacy of constitution and electoral reforms with enduring and responsive dictates for Nigerians. Bankole, who wants all Nigerians to support the lawmakers carry out the assignment of producing acceptable constitution for the country, warned his members to conduct the exercise in a decisive and transparent manner to guard against failure.

Declaring open a public hearing on the Constitution and Electoral Amendment Bills, the speaker charged members of the ad hoc committee headed by his deputy, Alhaji Usman Bayero Nafada to conduct the exercise with a sincerity of purpose in order to elicit genuine and unfettered public participation, support and confidence of Nigerians. He declared that the public hearing marked another milestone in the nation's journey towards creating a viable, virile, united and prosperous democratic state as he recalled that after Lord Lugard's amalgamation of 1914, attempts to fashion out a workable constitution began in 1922 (Clifford Constitution}. "It is therefore, essential to state that from 1922 to date, this will be the 12th attempt to frame a workable constitution for the country and we are still not satisfied. "As fellow Nigerians and your responsive representatives, we are aware that there is a unanimity of opinion that the promulgation of the 1999 Constitution did not benefit from the extensive consultations that preceded the making of some past consultations like the 1951, 1960, and to some extent, the 1999", he added.

The Speaker further stated that stakeholders have maintained that lack of adequate consultations culminating in the retention in the 1999 constitution, many critical items that were transferred from the concurrent list of the 1960 constitution to the exclusive list of the 1979 constitution. According to him, "These, among other issues, have continued to generate profound concerns and persistent calls from Nigerians for the review of the 1999 constitution. The 1999 constitution is not totally defective, but from the above concerns, it is clear that its eventual promulgation lacked the basic procedures and essential ingredients that usually characterize the making of an acceptable constitution", he added.

He however, said that the current exercise was unique in the sense that most of the previous attempts at fashioning out a workable constitution were carried out after due consultations with stakeholders and other Nigerians whose interests were being pursued. According to him, a constitutional review exercise that is not people oriented or anchored on the principles of inclusiveness is capable of alienating the people and therefore cannot stand the test of time He expressed gratitude that the ad hoc committee has been consulting extremely with the populace and other stakeholders across the nation. "I have no doubt that such wide consultations including this interactive hearing will give legitimacy and credibility to the final product of the review and amendment exercise.

Bankole declared that "for us in the 6th National Assembly, the House of Representatives is desirous to bestow a legacy of constitutional and electoral reforms that would be responsive, enduring, sustainable and truly stand the stress and strains of time. "This is our vision, this is our commitment; and we are prepared to provide strong institutions that democracy in Nigeria requires to consolidate. The world over, experience has shown that virile institutions have remained the oil which propels the engine of democratic governance", he added.