The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has blamed the rot in the
Nigerian university system on the Executive Secretary of the National
University Commission, Julius Okojie, saying his failure to insist on quality
has bastardised Nigerian universities.
The lecturers also vowed to continue their strike unless the federal
government honours the 2009 agreement it had with the union.
In a statement signed by its University of Ibadan branch chairman, Olusegun
Ajiboye, ASUU renewed its call for the scraping or a total overhaul of the
regulatory institution if the nation wishes to get it right in university
education management.
While calling on the National Assembly to beam its searchlight on the
activities of the NUC, Mr. Ajiboye said the recent NEEDS assessment report
on universities reflects how much the commission has failed in its duties as
a regulator.
According to him, the report undertaken by genuine academics contradicts
NUC’s accreditation exercises which gave ‘controversial’ clean bill of
health to most universities through “magomago accreditation.”
The union contended that only in a society like Nigeria would Mr. Okojie still
remain in office after being heavily indicted in the report, saying “in sane
climes, the NUC boss ought to have resigned through the revelations made
in the NEEDS assessment report.”
Mr. Okojie had, last week, absorbed his commission of any wrongdoing in
the rot plaguing public universities in the country, particularly as regards
undeserved accreditation, blaming members of the ASUU instead.
Mr. Ajiboye, who described the statement credited to the NUC boss as
‘careless’, accused Mr. Okojie of using his cronies who can do his biddings
to embark on accreditation.
He said the success of the 2011 elections was based on the patriotic zeal
and contributions of genuine and patriotic ASUU members nationwide saying
that was why the election was free of hanky-panky recorded in past
elections.
The ASUU statement titled ‘Where Okojie Got It Wrong,’ insisted that the
NUC boss is fond of using his ‘yes sir’ boys to do hatchet jobs during
accreditations, thereby compromising quality most of the time.
The union said its almost three-month-old strike is fully on, adding that the
it would not allow itself to be fooled again with ‘promisory notes’ of the
federal government which had never worked in the past.
“ASUU cannot be blamed for NUC ‘magomago’ accreditations. Rather than
blaming the Union, Okojie should take full responsibility for all the
fraudulent deeds in the NUC, including the work and eat accreditations.
“The NUC knows the kind of academics they select for their ignoble
exercises. These are cronnies of the big man in the NUC. They can never
say no to his biddings. Nigerians should be proud of ASUU in it’s efforts at
repositioning public universities in the country. One of these major efforts is
the NEEDS Assessment Document.
“This was a product of a rigorous academic exercise carried out by
dependable and credible members of our Union. Unlike the numerous faulty
accreditation reports which had given these universities clean bill of health,
the NEEDS Assessment Report stands out as a classical document of
reference detailing the rot and decay in public universities in Nigeria. All
well meaning Nigerians can see the contrast between okojie’s ‘packaged
accreditation reports’ and a credible job done by ASUU.
“It has become very clear from the Needs Assessment that Okojie and his
cohort of accreditors have fooled this country for too long. Enough they say
is enough. Time is now for the Government to beam a searchlight on the
activities of the NUC.
“The Education Committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives
have an arduous task to do here. Nigerians are calling for dismantling of an
omnibus body that has done the country more harm than good. NUC must go.
“Professor Julius Okojie cannot absolve himself from the rot in the
university system by regulating quantity instead of ensuring quality
delivery,” ASUU said.
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