Nigeria, they say, is a land of paradoxes. But never before has the contradiction been so sharp, so deliberate, and so damaging. Today, in the so-called era of Renewed Hope, convicted drug barons, kidnappers, and even terrorists are granted amnesty and presidential pardon, while university lecturers, men and women dedicating their lives to building the nation through education, are punished with the blunt weapon of “No work, no pay.”
This is the tragedy of a nation
that consistently rewards those who destroy society while punishing those who
attempt to preserve it.
The Double Standards of
Governance
The Federal Government has just
reiterated its commitment to enforcing the “no work, no pay” policy against
members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), warning lecturers
not to disrupt the academic calendar. The Ministry of Education insists that
most ASUU concerns have been addressed and that the government has demonstrated
“goodwill.”
Yet, in the same Nigeria, we have
seen high-profile pardons extended to individuals convicted of heinous crimes.
Some are drug barons whose trade poisons the youth. Some are kidnappers who
profit from the misery of innocent families. Some are terrorists whose bombs
shattered communities.
What message does this send? That
education is less valuable to the Nigerian state than crime? That crime pays,
but scholarship is punished?
The ASUU Question: More Than
Salaries
Every time ASUU goes on strike,
critics rush forward with a familiar line: “Lecturers should find new ways to
express grievances.” But after over forty years of industrial disputes, none of
these critics has provided an alternative that works. They have not designed a
single new mechanism for compelling government to honour its agreements.
The truth is simple: strikes
remain the only language government understands. Without them, agreements are
signed but never implemented. Without them, promises are made but never kept.
ASUU’s demands are not frivolous; they include unpaid arrears, earned
allowances, withheld salaries, and the urgent revitalization of universities.
The government claims it has
released ₦50 billion
to universities. ASUU counters that the true outstanding debt is about ₦103 billion, and that most
lecturers have not been paid a kobo. The gulf between claim and reality is
wide, and Nigerian students are caught in the middle.
Empty Goodwill, Endless Delays
The Minister of Education has
projected himself as the loudest defender of “no work, no pay.” But industrial
disputes are traditionally within the purview of the Ministry of Labour.
Instead of threats, what is needed is constructive negotiation, time-bound
agreements, and the rebuilding of trust between government and academia.
Goodwill is not enough. Lecturers
cannot take goodwill to the market. They cannot pay school fees or rent with
goodwill. Dialogue without timelines is merely postponement; promises without
actions are betrayals.
Who Will Teach the Next
Generation?
At this pace, Nigeria is on track
to lose its best intellectuals. In the next decade, only those without viable
alternatives will remain in our universities. The brain drain is no longer a
fear, it is a daily reality. Thousands of academics are migrating abroad, where
their knowledge and expertise are respected.
If teaching becomes a punishment
rather than a calling, who will mentor Nigeria’s next generation of doctors,
engineers, pharmacists, and scientists? If knowledge becomes an afterthought,
how can we compete in a global economy driven by research and innovation?
Students and Parents as Silent
Victims
Each strike season, it is the students who suffer the most. Academic calendars are disrupted, graduations delayed, and careers placed on hold. Parents who sacrifice everything to see their children through school are forced to watch helplessly as years are wasted.
