The future of university education in the country is in jeopardy, as the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities call off their negotiation.
Over two months after the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, embarked on an indefinite strike to compel the federal government to implement part of the 2009 agreement reached between both sides, indications are that both sides are far from agreeing on the terms of settling the dispute. The negotiation to end the strike, which has entered the tenth week, appears to have reached a dead end, as government's negotiation team and representatives of the academic union have abandoned the process in protest.
Two days after President Goodluck Jonathan directed the federal government's negotiating team to take all the necessary steps to ensure a quick resolution of the dispute, ASUU pulled out of the negotiation, alleging insincerity on the part of government.
The federal government had offered the striking lecturers, N100 billion to pacify them and get them back to the classrooms. ASUU's contention is that the distribution of N100 billion to universities by government was a half-hearted measure that would not tackle the monumental and myriads of problems facing the university education in the country.
Some critics have condemned the federal government for refusing to honour the terms of agreements it willingly signed. On the other hand, critics of ASUU say the union is "insensitive" to the plights of students.
While the federal government might not have met their demands, Kayode Oladimeji, a student, said ASUU should have accepted what was offered and call off the strike in the interest of students and the university education in Nigeria.
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