It is for the good of ASUP and ASUU to note that the institutions and the staff are parts of the government machinery, and the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu constituted members of the Nigerian tertiary schools to rekindle the vision of his renewed hope.
It view of the jettison of appointed Governing Council boards across the higher institutions, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP have no right to challenge the President.
Is good for the two unions to note that the elected government is entitled to appoint persons of knowledge it felt capable of governing the institutions to achieve its stated objectives.
Like the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dissolved the boards for almost 11 months, the same government is entitled to constitute the boards by law and fits any person who has the knowledge of help it fulfil its objectives in the area of education.
Like the president who has the power to appoint the Rector of any polytechnic even after winning election. The 33 of 1979 and the Polytechnic Amended Act 2019 gives the president the ultimate power to appoint rectors of polytechnics. So, the Section 2 (2) of the 1976 university laws states that the President of the country has the power to appoint people to run universities.
It is for the good of ASUP and ASUU to note that the institutions and the staff are parts of the government machinery, and the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu constituted members of the Nigerian tertiary schools to rekindle the vision of his renewed hope.
The appointment of the institutions’ boards members are required to uplift the standard of the Nigerian higher schools and rebrand the Nigerian education system which failed for many years. This is renewed hope time, and things are not to work the old way.
For what Nigerians know, President Tinubu will disown any appointee that didn’t do well, like what Nigerians continue to see happening in his government.
To shade more light on the constituted board members across the higher institutions, President Bola Ahmad Tinibu has picked the best hands among youths, academicians, politicians, and technocrats and the demands for only academicians need to be overlooked because it has been tasted in the past.
The members of the various institutions can testify to the fact that President Tinubu is aiming to reposition the higher education. Since inception as the president, Bola Ahmad Tinibu has done much for the universities, fulfilled the promise of paying the staff denied salary in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari of “No work, no pay.” The increment of 35% and 25% were also realistic in his administration in less than a year.
By the power given to the President of Nigeria, ASUP and ASUU has no right to refute the law of the land for their interest to fill in retired educationists before
inauguration of the governing boards.
ASUU and ASUP should wait for the time to test the selected renewed hope Governing Board members to give their best before they can stage the challenge. They should allow the president does his work of fulfilling the promise of renewing the hope of the education sector without intervention like he allowed them.
ASUU fought IPPIS and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu accepted the defeat, while Polytechnics increment of salary was made to chief lecturers in the polytechnic and professors in the universities and the polytechnic service scheme which delayed for years is coming is in the pipeline. To help revitalize education, President Tinubu established the student loan scheme for undergraduates. The selected institutional board members will help the president reclaim his goals in the Nigerian tertiary schools and ASUU and ASUP should stop to disrupt the plans of the President who means good for the staff of tertiary schools.
Indeed, President Tinubu deserves applause from ASUP and ASUU and should accept his style of leadership in the higher institutions for his renewed hope and bury their sentiments.
Musa Shehu is a national issues analyst and writes from Kaduna can be reached at [email protected]
