The “Enemies Within” And The Perennial Problems In Kogi State University, Anyigba | Usman Obogbo
I want to thank my friends for their sincere comments on my Facebook post of Sunday 16th July, 2017 as a response to an innuendo post directed at me somewhere. The said innuendo insinuated and alleged how and why I singlehandedly truncated the anticipated suspension of the protracted strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other issues thereof.
Let me also specifically thank my students and friends who after reading my responses to the said post, decided to inbox me to express their reliefs over what they have heard before then. The charts I had with some of them was disturbing and alarming as there was indication of plan and instigated attack against me by the aggrieved and already restive students and non-students from the host community. All the same, I dey kampe, because clear conscience fears no accusation.
One of such revelations from a student that prompted this exposition reads in part: “…we took some persons as confidants who give us feedback on ASUU strike and the fingers the (sic) pointed where (sic) always at you. Perhaps, those are your foes though our friends, made us take their enemies as ours….”. Again, I got a privilege security alert from somewhere in Anyigba town on Sunday night (16th July, 2017) how some group of “boys” were planning to attack me, which according to them was because of my alleged refusal to allow ASUU to suspend their strike, as told.
The security implications apart, is it not a case of dubious honnour for me to assume the status of shining star in which nothing happens in KSU without the name Dr. Ogbo being mentioned? It is like if the name does not come up at the beginning or in the middle, it is certainly bound to be parts of the ending for either good or bad, depending on who is telling the story and the intended aims of the persona. Please don’t ask me why because I don’t have the answer except the story tellers themselves and largely, almighty God, the ultimate judge who sees both the inside and outside.
Sometimes ago, in the year 2016, it was insinuated (even then as Dean of Students), that the students protest over the three months old strike action by ASUU on salaries and other welfare related matters then, was masterminded, instigated and sponsored by me. In fact, they fabricated further stories of how I spent certain amount of money (the amount I never saw since my working careers) for the project (For what, I do not know). How can the same person who then wrote Memos alerting the relevant authorities of the impending students protest turned out to be the sponsor? All the same, I presumed that, my exit from the office as DSA, apart from these fabricated lies, was also partly, connected to my famous Facebook post in June, 2016 during the strike which I titled: MASS EXODUS OF QUALIFIED ACADEMICS FROM KSU…., in which I proffered practical suggestions as guiding roadmap to preventing future strike action in the University.
Again, in February, 2017, Unions in all the Kogi State owned tertiary institutions declared a state wide industrial action, including ASUU. The Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is the umbrella body of other Unions except ASUU, suspended their strike action in June, 2017. During the Governor’s visit to the University alongside the Attah Igala and other dignitaries on 11th July, 2017, he promised to settle the outstanding salaries owed ASUU members and appealed to them to suspend the strike forthwith in the interest of the students.
As a response to the Governor’s visit and directive, ASUU held a Congress on 13th July, 2017 but was unable to immediately suspend the strike action as mostly anticipated by the restive students and other interested stakeholders. Astonishingly, it was again fabricated, insinuated and sold to the students that Dr. Usman Ogbo allegedly masterminded and manipulated ASUU into preventing them from suspending their strike. The reason they proffered was because of Dr. Ogbo’s grievances against the government over his removal as DSA. When I was the DSA, I instigated and sponsored students protest at Lokoja and even after leaving the office, I manipulated and prevented ASUU from suspending their strike action? Even my seven years old son should have laughed at such laughable flat lies.
Those outside the university may be surprised of how the name “Dr. Ogbo” was severally taken to the Zonal and National levels of ASUU with frivolous allegations with “anti – union” undertone message. In all, I was never invited anywhere outside Anyigba because objectivity at such level of ASUU is extraordinary. However, I was privileged to know all those antics against me after a truthful expository presentations of problems which the gladiators were labouring to hide from the national team that visited KSU on facts finding missions in 2015, through a very senior member of the team. The said official confided in me with words of caution to be careful with “them” because of their numerous lies they sneaked to feed them at “night” as my presentation has exposed everything and had made their job easier. In fact, parts of their allegations was that, I am on a mission to destroy Union activities in the universities, a mission they said I started from Unilorin and now in KSU and about to move to another university as insinuated then in 2015. The nagging question is, how Dr. Ogbo, be the manipulator of ASUU and preventing them from suspending their strike when the Union is still controlled by the same ‘ringleaders’ who clearly move around to instigate students and some “boys” from the host community with their usual blackmailing and destructive motives against the same Dr. Ogbo?
In all of these, am I not lucky to have all it takes to have manipulated about 23, 000 students to protest in 2016, manipulated about 500 academic staff from suspending their strike action and also turned around to play “anti – union” activities? Obviously, when you want to hang a dog, you give it a bad name. My fundamental consolation however, is that, if you do not know how to sell your slave, you may end up selling him to grace, fame and fortune. I think that is the case between my detractors and me. They have also successfully in very cheap manners made me extraordinarily popular by placing me in an undeservedly above-level premium. All I can I say is glory be to God almighty for this unmerited blessings.
My offence in all of these is simple: audacity to stand for and speak the truth as frankly as possible. As Marcus Antonius said, “truth is always strong no matter how weak its looks and falsehood is always weak no matter how strong it looks.” The question is, why and how did I know the truth? Even as I cannot profess “saint” and all – knowing, but if my closeness and intimate associations and mentoring relationship with not less than 12 former and serving Vice Chancellors across Federal, State and Private Universities in Nigeria, cannot afford me the privileged exposure and reasonable experiences, it means something is fundamentally wrong somewhere. This is because experience is the best teacher. Dorothy law Noite put it succinctly, “if a child lives with fairness, he learns justice”.
When you speak the truth, the “ringleaders” with different objectives would tag you “anti-union” as if they are the union. Again, when you constructively observe Government policies and actions, you are labeled “enemy of the government” or “enemy of GYB” depending on how the praise singers put it. That is the unfortunate double tragedy situations at hand. This type of situation is what some scrupulous ringleaders manipulate to score cheap Pull Him Down (PHD) goals against their envious targets just to look good in the eyes of the government. This was rightly captured by the student I earlier referred to as “……Perhaps, those are your foes though our friends, made us take their enemies as ours….”. I am amazed why it is only students that accept truthful critical engagements without much ill feeling compared to the others. In all, truth to me has no other name but TRUTH.
Who are the enemies of KSU and the Kogi State Government? Who are those playing double standard? They are some union ringleaders who took fabricated wrong information to Government House Lokoja against the University. They are some of the Alumnus and students of the Kogi State University, Anyigba who feed the government with negative information about the University. They are the students who are strangely at times eager for strike action in the University just to go home and rest. Some of them on hearing the rumour that Unions are about to declare strike would even travel ahead of the declared action only to turn around to complain of prolonged strike. Let us succinctly and systematically summarizes some of these and their self-inflicted roles by drawing from recent experiences.
The Governor himself during his visit to KSU on 11th July, 2017 has exposed some. The Governor told the gathering during the said visit, how one of the Union leaders (JAC or ASUU) came to inform him of how KSU mismanages Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He added that the same person called on him to send Audit Team to audit the account of the University. Treacherous and mischievous patriotism you may call the act of drawing the Governor’s attention to the ‘buoyant’ but mismanaged funds by your establishment for probing. The same person still instigate, command, mastermind and lead union(s) to strike against the Government which refuses to inject money for payment of salaries and development of the University. God punish the devil. How can we blame the Governor for not being ready to inject the required funding for payment of salaries and development of the University? It is only an irresponsible government that would pump money into a sector that generates and mismanages resources. On this ground, who is the problem of the University here; the Government or the enemies within?
Again, the same ringleaders now identified as enemies within KSU were also the ones that took issue of the 2015 employment to the Governor, alleging how it was lopsided in favour of the Igalas of the Kogi East against Kogi Central and Kogi West. That is partly the reason why the Governor was very categorical during the visit by admonishing that the University should not be operated as “….Igala University…because it belongs to all kogians….”. These enemies would certainly not inform the Governor on how they were using the influences of their position as Union leaders to aggressively demand for employments of their wives, relatives and cronies, which was acceded to after several induced strikes in the university. Like the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo once remarked, “…when you hear anyone saying my people are marginalized, the person is indirectly saying appoint me”. The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, clearly understood the working of the Universities when he said, “universities not established for jobs creation but to advance learning” (Vanguard Newspapers, Sunday 16th July, 2017). Unfortunately, some of the enemies within who took the 2015 employment to Lokoja, are the ones that made the “2015 employment” strike issue in the University at the expense of the gullible and helpless students. The famous “No 2015, “No KSU” remark during the Governor’s visit may be a pointer.
In addition, these groups of people had done similar things during the former Governor Wada’s government. When Wada had accident and his Deputy, Architect Yomi Awoniyi was Acting for him, it was from KSU, text messages was sent to Awoniyi informing him how the initial employment made to the Faculty of Education then, was lopsided in favour of the Kogi East. Awoniyi reacted by forwarding the SMS to the then Vice Chancellor who replied with satisfactory statistical analysis.
Not done, these same sets of people again told former Governor Wada how the ‘huge’ IGR generated by the University was mismanaged. This prompted Wada to send series of Audit Teams to audit the University account(s), the result of which proved the allegations as false. It must be noted that it was the waiting for the results of the Audit Team that led to the delay of payment of salaries of KSU staff, which eventually led to the merger and treatment with the core civil servants in the Ministries. If not, former Governor Wada inherited the cherished culture of treating the salaries of the University workers differently. Who caused the problems? The Government or the enemies within who at the same time turned around with propelling industrial action against the same problems they caused? As it was said, when the sky falls, it falls on all of us without exception.
Other major sets of enemies within are some of the government appointees who claimed to know the Universities by virtue of schooling “there”, but know near to nothing except by opportunity of their closeness and access to send wrong signals about their Alma Mata to the highest authorities in the state because of some undercurrent hidden objectives. This apart, before government begins to point accusing fingers wrongly, it should have pondered on the following questions. Where are those ‘ringleaders’ the government so recognized by appointing them as Council members of other tertiary institutions? What are their roles in stabilizing the system by ensuring amicable resolution of the protracted industrial crisis involving their union and the government they are serving? Why is it that those ringleaders were able to resolve the problems in the other tertiary institutions but leaving that of the University? Did anyone care to ask of their complicated roles in the university? Can staff on suspension from the University and currently facing Court cases against the State Government who at the same time is a member of Union Executive be fair and unbiased in judgment in dealings with the same government? The government that is yet to identify the enemies within should stop pointing accusing fingers at innocent souls.
I must not fail to mention the antics of some individuals, one of whom I had served as Secretary of a Panel that indicted him over case of ‘impersonation’ but hurriedly ran to Government House where he seized the opportunity of access to the government for obvious parochial connections, to lie against the University and the rest of us. I hope the government should have discovered the truth about the lies by now because documented evidence abound.
In most universities across Nigeria, national appointments from such institutions are celebrated with fanfare because of the accruing personal and corporate benefits. So many universities had such rare opportunities severally with Ministers and Heads of Parastatals and agencies emerging from BUK, UNN, ABU, UniAbuja among others. In the case of the the Kogi State University, Anyigba, and indeed, the first of its kind when Professor S. I. Ocheni was nominated as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the influence of the Governor, it was petition galore against his nomination by these disgruntled ringleaders and sadists. It is some of these envious sadists that also told lies against me through frivolous petitions to the Kogi State Government some times ago while serving as informants. Indeed, the government is yet to know the enemies within.
If Bayero University Kano that has produced three (3) national Presidents of ASUU at different times, never delayed my studies with incessant strike action a day, and the University of Ilorin that taught me how to support and defend unbroken academic calendar also never delayed my academic pursuit with strike action a day, it is highly immoral for me and in my state for that matter where majority of the students are more or less my younger siblings, to strangely start developing sadistic posture.
In all, the ideal basis of unionism for collective bargaining cannot be questioned because of the government worst welfare policies to the extent that payment of salaries is not only politicized but also has become an achievement driven objectives in Nigeria. Indeed, government ineptitude and the resultants unwillingness have created fertile environments for the ringleaders to thrive with their hidden personal agenda as flavouring condiments. This is how “enemies within” are created, nurtured and helped to grow wings with the overall consequences on the students in all ramifications. If government pays salaries as and when due, committed to the overall staff welfare, consult and engage in diplomatic dialogue when in financial constraints to meeting the demands of workers, the ringleaders would not have wings to fly. Professor Sam Egwu rightly explained this when he said that government should play its parts and leave the issues of politics by the unions to ‘us’ to play.
As late, Chief M.K.O Abiola once put, “Power is like a tiger, if you ride a tiger, you must be very careful when you get down otherwise you will found yourself inside the tiger’s belly”. That is why Kofi Anan once said that, “greatness is the ability to have the power, but to refuse to use it at the least provocation”.
I therefore urge men of goodwill to imbibe the famous Chinese Proverb which states that “ if you want one year of prosperity, grow grass. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. But if you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people”. Therefore, for us to grow people in Kogi State and in particular in Kogi State University, Anyigba, when you see “enemies within”, clap hands for them as we clap for mosquitoes.
I know I have thrown stone to the market. That is why I am signing off with the words of Williams Ward who said, “there are three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others and sharing with others”.
God bless Kogi State University, Anyigba so that there may not be INDUSTRIAL CRISIS again now that some salient truth have been EXPOSED.
– Dr. S. O. Usman
A social commentator and policy analyst writes from the Department of Political Science,
Kogi State University, Anyigba.
Let me also specifically thank my students and friends who after reading my responses to the said post, decided to inbox me to express their reliefs over what they have heard before then. The charts I had with some of them was disturbing and alarming as there was indication of plan and instigated attack against me by the aggrieved and already restive students and non-students from the host community. All the same, I dey kampe, because clear conscience fears no accusation.
One of such revelations from a student that prompted this exposition reads in part: “…we took some persons as confidants who give us feedback on ASUU strike and the fingers the (sic) pointed where (sic) always at you. Perhaps, those are your foes though our friends, made us take their enemies as ours….”. Again, I got a privilege security alert from somewhere in Anyigba town on Sunday night (16th July, 2017) how some group of “boys” were planning to attack me, which according to them was because of my alleged refusal to allow ASUU to suspend their strike, as told.
The security implications apart, is it not a case of dubious honnour for me to assume the status of shining star in which nothing happens in KSU without the name Dr. Ogbo being mentioned? It is like if the name does not come up at the beginning or in the middle, it is certainly bound to be parts of the ending for either good or bad, depending on who is telling the story and the intended aims of the persona. Please don’t ask me why because I don’t have the answer except the story tellers themselves and largely, almighty God, the ultimate judge who sees both the inside and outside.
Sometimes ago, in the year 2016, it was insinuated (even then as Dean of Students), that the students protest over the three months old strike action by ASUU on salaries and other welfare related matters then, was masterminded, instigated and sponsored by me. In fact, they fabricated further stories of how I spent certain amount of money (the amount I never saw since my working careers) for the project (For what, I do not know). How can the same person who then wrote Memos alerting the relevant authorities of the impending students protest turned out to be the sponsor? All the same, I presumed that, my exit from the office as DSA, apart from these fabricated lies, was also partly, connected to my famous Facebook post in June, 2016 during the strike which I titled: MASS EXODUS OF QUALIFIED ACADEMICS FROM KSU…., in which I proffered practical suggestions as guiding roadmap to preventing future strike action in the University.
Again, in February, 2017, Unions in all the Kogi State owned tertiary institutions declared a state wide industrial action, including ASUU. The Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is the umbrella body of other Unions except ASUU, suspended their strike action in June, 2017. During the Governor’s visit to the University alongside the Attah Igala and other dignitaries on 11th July, 2017, he promised to settle the outstanding salaries owed ASUU members and appealed to them to suspend the strike forthwith in the interest of the students.
As a response to the Governor’s visit and directive, ASUU held a Congress on 13th July, 2017 but was unable to immediately suspend the strike action as mostly anticipated by the restive students and other interested stakeholders. Astonishingly, it was again fabricated, insinuated and sold to the students that Dr. Usman Ogbo allegedly masterminded and manipulated ASUU into preventing them from suspending their strike. The reason they proffered was because of Dr. Ogbo’s grievances against the government over his removal as DSA. When I was the DSA, I instigated and sponsored students protest at Lokoja and even after leaving the office, I manipulated and prevented ASUU from suspending their strike action? Even my seven years old son should have laughed at such laughable flat lies.
Those outside the university may be surprised of how the name “Dr. Ogbo” was severally taken to the Zonal and National levels of ASUU with frivolous allegations with “anti – union” undertone message. In all, I was never invited anywhere outside Anyigba because objectivity at such level of ASUU is extraordinary. However, I was privileged to know all those antics against me after a truthful expository presentations of problems which the gladiators were labouring to hide from the national team that visited KSU on facts finding missions in 2015, through a very senior member of the team. The said official confided in me with words of caution to be careful with “them” because of their numerous lies they sneaked to feed them at “night” as my presentation has exposed everything and had made their job easier. In fact, parts of their allegations was that, I am on a mission to destroy Union activities in the universities, a mission they said I started from Unilorin and now in KSU and about to move to another university as insinuated then in 2015. The nagging question is, how Dr. Ogbo, be the manipulator of ASUU and preventing them from suspending their strike when the Union is still controlled by the same ‘ringleaders’ who clearly move around to instigate students and some “boys” from the host community with their usual blackmailing and destructive motives against the same Dr. Ogbo?
In all of these, am I not lucky to have all it takes to have manipulated about 23, 000 students to protest in 2016, manipulated about 500 academic staff from suspending their strike action and also turned around to play “anti – union” activities? Obviously, when you want to hang a dog, you give it a bad name. My fundamental consolation however, is that, if you do not know how to sell your slave, you may end up selling him to grace, fame and fortune. I think that is the case between my detractors and me. They have also successfully in very cheap manners made me extraordinarily popular by placing me in an undeservedly above-level premium. All I can I say is glory be to God almighty for this unmerited blessings.
My offence in all of these is simple: audacity to stand for and speak the truth as frankly as possible. As Marcus Antonius said, “truth is always strong no matter how weak its looks and falsehood is always weak no matter how strong it looks.” The question is, why and how did I know the truth? Even as I cannot profess “saint” and all – knowing, but if my closeness and intimate associations and mentoring relationship with not less than 12 former and serving Vice Chancellors across Federal, State and Private Universities in Nigeria, cannot afford me the privileged exposure and reasonable experiences, it means something is fundamentally wrong somewhere. This is because experience is the best teacher. Dorothy law Noite put it succinctly, “if a child lives with fairness, he learns justice”.
When you speak the truth, the “ringleaders” with different objectives would tag you “anti-union” as if they are the union. Again, when you constructively observe Government policies and actions, you are labeled “enemy of the government” or “enemy of GYB” depending on how the praise singers put it. That is the unfortunate double tragedy situations at hand. This type of situation is what some scrupulous ringleaders manipulate to score cheap Pull Him Down (PHD) goals against their envious targets just to look good in the eyes of the government. This was rightly captured by the student I earlier referred to as “……Perhaps, those are your foes though our friends, made us take their enemies as ours….”. I am amazed why it is only students that accept truthful critical engagements without much ill feeling compared to the others. In all, truth to me has no other name but TRUTH.
Who are the enemies of KSU and the Kogi State Government? Who are those playing double standard? They are some union ringleaders who took fabricated wrong information to Government House Lokoja against the University. They are some of the Alumnus and students of the Kogi State University, Anyigba who feed the government with negative information about the University. They are the students who are strangely at times eager for strike action in the University just to go home and rest. Some of them on hearing the rumour that Unions are about to declare strike would even travel ahead of the declared action only to turn around to complain of prolonged strike. Let us succinctly and systematically summarizes some of these and their self-inflicted roles by drawing from recent experiences.
The Governor himself during his visit to KSU on 11th July, 2017 has exposed some. The Governor told the gathering during the said visit, how one of the Union leaders (JAC or ASUU) came to inform him of how KSU mismanages Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He added that the same person called on him to send Audit Team to audit the account of the University. Treacherous and mischievous patriotism you may call the act of drawing the Governor’s attention to the ‘buoyant’ but mismanaged funds by your establishment for probing. The same person still instigate, command, mastermind and lead union(s) to strike against the Government which refuses to inject money for payment of salaries and development of the University. God punish the devil. How can we blame the Governor for not being ready to inject the required funding for payment of salaries and development of the University? It is only an irresponsible government that would pump money into a sector that generates and mismanages resources. On this ground, who is the problem of the University here; the Government or the enemies within?
Again, the same ringleaders now identified as enemies within KSU were also the ones that took issue of the 2015 employment to the Governor, alleging how it was lopsided in favour of the Igalas of the Kogi East against Kogi Central and Kogi West. That is partly the reason why the Governor was very categorical during the visit by admonishing that the University should not be operated as “….Igala University…because it belongs to all kogians….”. These enemies would certainly not inform the Governor on how they were using the influences of their position as Union leaders to aggressively demand for employments of their wives, relatives and cronies, which was acceded to after several induced strikes in the university. Like the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo once remarked, “…when you hear anyone saying my people are marginalized, the person is indirectly saying appoint me”. The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, clearly understood the working of the Universities when he said, “universities not established for jobs creation but to advance learning” (Vanguard Newspapers, Sunday 16th July, 2017). Unfortunately, some of the enemies within who took the 2015 employment to Lokoja, are the ones that made the “2015 employment” strike issue in the University at the expense of the gullible and helpless students. The famous “No 2015, “No KSU” remark during the Governor’s visit may be a pointer.
In addition, these groups of people had done similar things during the former Governor Wada’s government. When Wada had accident and his Deputy, Architect Yomi Awoniyi was Acting for him, it was from KSU, text messages was sent to Awoniyi informing him how the initial employment made to the Faculty of Education then, was lopsided in favour of the Kogi East. Awoniyi reacted by forwarding the SMS to the then Vice Chancellor who replied with satisfactory statistical analysis.
Not done, these same sets of people again told former Governor Wada how the ‘huge’ IGR generated by the University was mismanaged. This prompted Wada to send series of Audit Teams to audit the University account(s), the result of which proved the allegations as false. It must be noted that it was the waiting for the results of the Audit Team that led to the delay of payment of salaries of KSU staff, which eventually led to the merger and treatment with the core civil servants in the Ministries. If not, former Governor Wada inherited the cherished culture of treating the salaries of the University workers differently. Who caused the problems? The Government or the enemies within who at the same time turned around with propelling industrial action against the same problems they caused? As it was said, when the sky falls, it falls on all of us without exception.
Other major sets of enemies within are some of the government appointees who claimed to know the Universities by virtue of schooling “there”, but know near to nothing except by opportunity of their closeness and access to send wrong signals about their Alma Mata to the highest authorities in the state because of some undercurrent hidden objectives. This apart, before government begins to point accusing fingers wrongly, it should have pondered on the following questions. Where are those ‘ringleaders’ the government so recognized by appointing them as Council members of other tertiary institutions? What are their roles in stabilizing the system by ensuring amicable resolution of the protracted industrial crisis involving their union and the government they are serving? Why is it that those ringleaders were able to resolve the problems in the other tertiary institutions but leaving that of the University? Did anyone care to ask of their complicated roles in the university? Can staff on suspension from the University and currently facing Court cases against the State Government who at the same time is a member of Union Executive be fair and unbiased in judgment in dealings with the same government? The government that is yet to identify the enemies within should stop pointing accusing fingers at innocent souls.
I must not fail to mention the antics of some individuals, one of whom I had served as Secretary of a Panel that indicted him over case of ‘impersonation’ but hurriedly ran to Government House where he seized the opportunity of access to the government for obvious parochial connections, to lie against the University and the rest of us. I hope the government should have discovered the truth about the lies by now because documented evidence abound.
In most universities across Nigeria, national appointments from such institutions are celebrated with fanfare because of the accruing personal and corporate benefits. So many universities had such rare opportunities severally with Ministers and Heads of Parastatals and agencies emerging from BUK, UNN, ABU, UniAbuja among others. In the case of the the Kogi State University, Anyigba, and indeed, the first of its kind when Professor S. I. Ocheni was nominated as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the influence of the Governor, it was petition galore against his nomination by these disgruntled ringleaders and sadists. It is some of these envious sadists that also told lies against me through frivolous petitions to the Kogi State Government some times ago while serving as informants. Indeed, the government is yet to know the enemies within.
If Bayero University Kano that has produced three (3) national Presidents of ASUU at different times, never delayed my studies with incessant strike action a day, and the University of Ilorin that taught me how to support and defend unbroken academic calendar also never delayed my academic pursuit with strike action a day, it is highly immoral for me and in my state for that matter where majority of the students are more or less my younger siblings, to strangely start developing sadistic posture.
In all, the ideal basis of unionism for collective bargaining cannot be questioned because of the government worst welfare policies to the extent that payment of salaries is not only politicized but also has become an achievement driven objectives in Nigeria. Indeed, government ineptitude and the resultants unwillingness have created fertile environments for the ringleaders to thrive with their hidden personal agenda as flavouring condiments. This is how “enemies within” are created, nurtured and helped to grow wings with the overall consequences on the students in all ramifications. If government pays salaries as and when due, committed to the overall staff welfare, consult and engage in diplomatic dialogue when in financial constraints to meeting the demands of workers, the ringleaders would not have wings to fly. Professor Sam Egwu rightly explained this when he said that government should play its parts and leave the issues of politics by the unions to ‘us’ to play.
As late, Chief M.K.O Abiola once put, “Power is like a tiger, if you ride a tiger, you must be very careful when you get down otherwise you will found yourself inside the tiger’s belly”. That is why Kofi Anan once said that, “greatness is the ability to have the power, but to refuse to use it at the least provocation”.
I therefore urge men of goodwill to imbibe the famous Chinese Proverb which states that “ if you want one year of prosperity, grow grass. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. But if you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people”. Therefore, for us to grow people in Kogi State and in particular in Kogi State University, Anyigba, when you see “enemies within”, clap hands for them as we clap for mosquitoes.
I know I have thrown stone to the market. That is why I am signing off with the words of Williams Ward who said, “there are three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others and sharing with others”.
God bless Kogi State University, Anyigba so that there may not be INDUSTRIAL CRISIS again now that some salient truth have been EXPOSED.
– Dr. S. O. Usman
A social commentator and policy analyst writes from the Department of Political Science,
Kogi State University, Anyigba.
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