A CONVERSATION WITH PROF. ABIODUN OGUNYEMI, PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES, PART 6 OF 6
An Interview Summary with Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi,
the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
Toyin Falola
*(This is the third and final report on the interview conducted with Professor Abiodun Ogunyemi on April 25, 2021). For its entire recording, see Facebook: https://fb.watch/55x9BZoe7s/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/bVgqJZYyEPg)
This occasion of the Toyin Falola interviews featured the president of the ASUU, Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, fielding questions—from comrades and other stakeholders—on the union's activities, its objectives, past experiences, and recent engagements with the government. The aim is to intimate the public about the union's handling of issues bedeviling tertiary education in Nigeria. Hence, the session covered the history of ASUU's engagement with the government, the content and efficacy of the union's modus operandi, the conduct of its members, and the possibility of devising and implementing less harmful measures for securing the future of (public) tertiary education in Nigeria.
The interview started without delay with questions posed by the student representative, Eworo Daniel. These included questions on the ASUU's achievements, its experiences dealing with civilian and military governments, its commitment to student's welfare, and the possibility of adopting a different pressure tactic outside striking. Responding, Prof. Ogunyemi stated the critical role universities are meant to play in national development, contributing to the development of every sector of national life, especially in underdeveloped Africa. He lamented the sorry state of tertiary education in Nigeria, explaining that the union's agenda is to ensure that the university is well equipped to deliver its mandate.
According to Prof. Ogunyemi, ASUU identifies with the needs of the suffering masses, unlike its predecessor, the National Association of University Teachers (NAUT). The challenges to the union's objective lay in the elite's attitude as there is hardly any difference between civilian dispensations and their military counterparts in their commitment to developing tertiary education in Nigeria, especially as the civilian ruling class is yet largely made up of the same military elements. The union's experience with both governments was ridden with various instances of draconian displays, including serial banning and the imposition of unfavorable and faulty policies such as the IPPIS payment scheme. To further bolster his point, the ASUU President recalled a one-time civilian president who called the ASUU "the problem of Nigeria" and likened the union to a snake that can only be effectively handled by dismembering it and stowing its different parts at different locations across the country. In other instances, the union has also been labeled as political and unpatriotic.
Photo: Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi and Toyin Falola
Concerning the ASUU's commitment to student welfare, Prof. Ogunyemi mentioned that the union is committed to ensuring that students get not only a conducive learning environment but also that the teachers whose job it is to educate have the required equipment and are well compensated to ensure that they deliver on their mandate. This way, both students' and teachers' interests, which are intertwined, are served simultaneously. He further pointed out that the union has never embarked on strike for the sole aim of teachers' welfare. Regarding the issue of finding an alternative to strike actions, which has rippling effects on students' education and career opportunities and is also damaging the reputation of Nigerian universities, the ASUU president pointed out that it is the only language the Nigerian government seems to understand, and that the union only embarks on strikes when other avenues have failed. These industrial actions, he claimed, have produced some results like the TETFUND, which has aided in refurbishing and equipping some Nigerian universities with dearly required facilities. He, however, suggested that if anyone had a better alternative to striking, the union is willing to consider it.
The interview proceeded with more questions from the prolific media personality, Tosin Alagbe. Her questions covered what ASUU is doing to prepare students for jobs that do not yet exist, why it seems like the union's voice is not loud enough when holding the Nigerian government accountable, what ASUU's position on sexual harassment is, and what the union is doing to prepare universities for another pandemic. In response, Prof. Ogunyemi explains that there is a curriculum review committee in every university and the union's members participate effectively in curriculum review. ASUU members collaborate with the NUC by collating feedback from other members across universities. Teachers, he also said, have used their connection and interactions with colleagues in more advanced climes to keep abreast of international trends and have applied the innovative information gained from such interactions in their classrooms. Reacting also to my expansion on preparing students for the new jobs and opportunities, Prof. Ogunyemi lamented the infrastructural deficit in Nigerian universities and poor government commitment to developing these infrastructures asserted limits the possibility for any such preparation.
In response to the suggestion that the union has not been very vocal in holding the government accountable, the ASUU President said such assertion is not correct. ASUU members have been tried for insubordination and sometimes kicked out for exposing corrupt practices in their universities. The union, according to him, has just not been regular enough because the IPPIS and other human factors have bogged it down. Nonetheless, it has always raised objections to corrupt practices, with the IPPIS as one of such schemes flagged as an avenue for corruption. Furthermore, it still issues statements on the deplorable situation of national affairs after NEC (National Executive Council) meetings and through newspaper publications to notify the public on such issues and when specific cases arise.
Photo: Entrance Gate, the University of Lagos, Nigeria
On the union's position on sexual harassment in universities, Prof. Ogunyemi said the union condemns it in all its entirety and that there is a committee that investigates such cases. The committee then reports its findings at NEC meetings, maintaining steady connections and keeping the union abreast with developments. However, the union will not condone/allow any government agency to paint all its members with one brush on account of some bad eggs, as some teachers are known to have excellent and familial relationships with their students. He asserted that there is a need to reinforce existing structures, as some of the notorious elements come into the university system through questionable means and abuse the privilege. He also mentioned a need to properly analyze the problem and work together to situate the solution.
Coming down to being prepared for eventualities such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Prof. Ogunyemi mentioned that the union is not averse to technological innovation and that ASUU had always advocated that universities be well-positioned to respond to calamities even before the present pandemic became an issue. The union has proactively engaged the government to improve, leading to a 2013 funding agreement that the government has failed to meet. Therefore, embracing the change to a digital model of engagement in teaching is not an option for ASUU but a necessity.
The next in line with questions was Prof. Labode Popoola, the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN). His questions covered areas such as the union's position on education funding at the tertiary level; financial transparency and service delivery at universities; finding an alternative to strike actions, unionism as a replacement for hard work; and the authoritarian tendencies within the union. The ASUU President, Prof. Ogunyemi, replied by saying that funding is an ideological issue. He went on to say that the union is not against private funding from alumni associations, nor does it insist that other stakeholders cannot contribute until it comes up with a fixed amount for fees. He maintained that if the government gets its priorities right, it can adequately fund education in Nigeria with some assistance from parents. However, parents are already doing a lot, sharing about half of the burden with the government. Therefore, increasing fees will generally make education inaccessible to many people. Reacting to further assertions by Prof. Labode that the government cannot, on its own, fund education and that Nigerian parents are willing to do more, Prof. Ogunyemi said the issue is in the percentage, also recalling that governments in other parts of the (western) world still fund tertiary education.
Prof. Labode pointed out that corruption transcends political circles, contrary to popular perception, and that the corruption in the education sector is "legendary," to which Prof. Ogunyemi conceded that the union is aware of such "leakages." However, attempts by ASUU members to confront these issues by exposing corrupt elements have resulted in their victimization—suspensions, withheld pay, and layoffs. The union, he said, has taken up some cases even to the EFCC, and yet nothing happens. The challenge is that the union is up against formidable forces from within and without academia. ASUU, he also said, has put mechanisms like the Pension Fund Custodians (PFC) in place. If the union is not satisfied with the use of funds disbursed, it will not release more from the TETFUND.
Reacting to strikes as an instrument of Nigerian unionism that further aggravates an already bad situation, Prof. Ogunyemi started from the assertion that Nigerian universities are not the worst in terms of funding, to which he said we must not wait until we become the worst, but we should consider that we were once amongst the best. He explained that we should not blame the bad reputation of Nigerian education on strikes alone. Rather, we should look at the dilapidated university facilities and unreliable processes that ASUU objects to by striking.
On the allegation that union members have used activism to replace hard work, Prof. Ogunyemi pointed out that, unfortunately, this is obtainable in almost every organization and that it is up to university administrators to resist attempts by political elements to impose unqualified personnel on the universities. This contributes to the problem because when such people come in, they strive to perpetuate the system that brought them in. He also raised the issue of corrupt administrators worsening the situation.
Photo: Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi and Ms. Tosin Alagbe
The final interviewer Prof. Tunde Babawale, a distinguished scholar and administrator, posed questions on what the union is doing to encourage the payment of education tax; ASUU's involvement with university authorities in ensuring teachers do their jobs; ASUU's strategy for ensuring accountability among university authorities; the distinctiveness of Prof. Ogunyemi's leadership; and how gains made under the present ASUU leadership can be sustained irrespective of changing governments. Responding, the ASUU president used the FIRS as a case in point to demonstrate the challenges the union faces on education tax. According to him, the revenue collecting agency has resisted attempts to gain information on such company tax payments, and as such, ASUU has not been able to keep track of the funds collected, and that the union has visited its lawyers to address the issue. Hence ASUU cannot vouch for monies collected and also cannot track projects. Student unions, he says, can play more active roles in this regard. He, however, added that they are engaging with the TETFUND to ensure that the agency delivers.
Coming to members' work ethics, Prof. Ogunyemi conceded that there are infractions and that some of their colleagues are performing below expectation. He, nonetheless, pointed out that it is important to situate the problem by asking questions such as the percentage of students per a lecturer. Departments now have a higher number of students, and that translates to heavier workloads. This, he said, is not a defense of derelicts, but that with such conditions, enforcement becomes difficult and trying to appear like an insult. He said this also brings up recruitment and how transparent the processes are to ensure that unqualified people are not admitted. ASUU, he said, in any case, is doing its best. It is conscious of its role and responsibility.
On ensuring accountability in universities, the ASUU president said the issue speaks to the role of the Budget Monitoring Committee (BMC), which was set up to prioritize projects. He explained that before a university can access revitalization funds, the BMC must meet and investigate the areas where the funds are needed, then the BMC takes part in contract pricing and awarding. However, the BMC has been rendered moribund in over ten universities. In some cases, the Vice-Chancellor heads the BMC, which is an infraction. If adverse results are gotten from BMCs, the erring university must defend its expenditure before any other funds are released. This way, ASUU has tried to put in checks and balances, despite several victimizations.
Concerning ASUU's achievements and how they can be sustained, Prof. Ogunyemi pointed out that branches have grown from twenty to seventy in his tenure. However, every president works within a different context, just like both military and civilian governments have their peculiar challenges. He said he could not claim any of the achievements as they are collective and cumulative. Each leader builds on the other's gain, and this way, the gains can and have been sustained.
The next section of the interview had questions and comments from the audience, after which the host closed the interview session with a vote of thanks and announcement on subsequent interviews.
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