(ASUU) has blamed the rot in the Nigerian university system on the
Executive Secretary of the National University Commission, Julius
Okojie, saying his failure to insist on quality has bastardised Nigerian
universities.
The lecturers also vowed to continue their strike unless the federal
government honours the 2009 agreement it had with the union.
In a statement signed by its University of Ibadan branch chairman,
Olusegun Ajiboye, ASUU renewed its call for the scraping or a total
overhaul of the regulatory institution if the nation wishes to get it
right in university education management.
While calling on the National Assembly to beam its searchlight on the
activities of the NUC, Mr. Ajiboye said the recent NEEDS assessment
report on universities reflects how much the commission has failed in
its duties as a regulator.
According to him, the report undertaken by genuine academics contradicts
NUC’s accreditation exercises which gave ‘controversial’ clean bill of
health to most universities through “magomago accreditation.”
The union contended that only in a society like Nigeria would Mr. Okojie
still remain in office after being heavily indicted in the report,
saying “in sane climes, the NUC boss ought to have resigned through the
revelations made in the NEEDS assessment report.”
Mr. Okojie had, last week, absorbed his commission of any wrongdoing in
the rot plaguing public universities in the country, particularly as
regards undeserved accreditation, blaming members of the ASUU instead.
Mr. Ajiboye, who described the statement credited to the NUC boss as
‘careless’, accused Mr. Okojie of using his cronies who can do his
biddings to embark on accreditation.
He said the success of the 2011 elections was based on the patriotic
zeal and contributions of genuine and patriotic ASUU members nationwide
saying that was why the election was free of hanky-panky recorded in
past elections.
The ASUU statement titled ‘Where Okojie Got It Wrong,’ insisted that the
NUC boss is fond of using his ‘yes sir’ boys to do hatchet jobs during
accreditations, thereby compromising quality most of the time.
The union said its almost three-month-old strike is fully on, adding
that the it would not allow itself to be fooled again with ‘promisory
notes’ of the federal government which had never worked in the past.
“ASUU cannot be blamed for NUC ‘magomago’ accreditations. Rather than
blaming the Union, Okojie should take full responsibility for all the
fraudulent deeds in the NUC, including the work and eat accreditations.
“The NUC knows the kind of academics they select for their ignoble
exercises. These are cronnies of the big man in the NUC. They can never
say no to his biddings. Nigerians should be proud of ASUU in it’s
efforts at repositioning public universities in the country. One of
these major efforts is the NEEDS Assessment Document.
“This was a product of a rigorous academic exercise carried out by
dependable and credible members of our Union. Unlike the numerous faulty
accreditation reports which had given these universities clean bill of
health, the NEEDS Assessment Report stands out as a classical document
of reference detailing the rot and decay in public universities in
Nigeria. All well meaning Nigerians can see the contrast between
okojie’s ‘packaged accreditation reports’ and a credible job done by
ASUU.
“It has become very clear from the Needs Assessment that Okojie and his
cohort of accreditors have fooled this country for too long. Enough they
say is enough. Time is now for the Government to beam a searchlight on
the activities of the NUC.
“The Education Committees in both the Senate and House of
Representatives have an arduous task to do here. Nigerians are calling
for dismantling of an omnibus body that has done the country more harm
than good. NUC must go.
“Professor Julius Okojie cannot absolve himself from the rot in the
university system by regulating quantity instead of ensuring quality
delivery,” ASUU said
SOURCE:PREMIUM TIMES
