ASUU’s misplaced priorities

The ongoing battle between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) seems interesting, although complicated. I mean, how would ASUU call the system that is being used to pay most government workers a “scam”? When did workers start dictating to their employers the payment system they would tolerate?

Yes, there might be issues regarding sabbatical and visiting lecturers that need to be taken into consideration, just like that of military officials carrying out missions abroad, but ASUU’S continued propaganda against the IPPIS only affirms the suspicion that the academic unit has a skeleton in its cupboard to hide. Is it the reported ghost workers in the university system or the slashing of salaries of staff, especially junior lecturers by their superiors?

It’s a known fact that apart from even the ghost workers, a lot of lecturers teach at three to four different universities. These type of lecturers not only block the employment opportunities of many talented young Nigerians out there looking for a job, but they are also the same ones that show up only a week to exams to cover a whole semester workload.

Then you have the notorious lazy Wikipedia lecturers, the #SexForMarks ones and the #MoneyForMarks lecturers. How about those known for their sadism and passion to boast about failing students.

Sadly, it’s because of such rot, which the ASUU fails to address, that has turned the Nigerian University system into some kind of a JOKE! It is high time ASUU tackled these burning issues instead of threatening to go on strike over IPPIS implementation – if members of the academic body are really serious about upholding the dignity of the Ivory Tower.

Labaran Yusuf writes from Jos, Plateau State