Dr. Jurbe Molwus, the chair of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter at the University of Jos, expressed concerns about the ongoing problems ailing Nigeria’s public universities during a thought-provoking town hall meeting held in Jos. According to Molwus, a breakdown in prior agreements, insufficient money from the federal government, and inadequate infrastructure are the main causes of the frequent strikes by university teachers.
According to Molwus, the union really dislikes strikes and suffers greatly when such decisions are made. He did, however, emphasize that the government has been forced to take these extreme actions due to its persistent disrespect for agreements with ASUU. He criticised the condition of public institutions, calling them eyesores devoid of basic amenities like
The town hall aimed to open a dialogue between ASUU and various community stakeholders about the challenges facing university education in Nigeria. Molwus emphasized the importance of this meeting as a platform to discuss and devise strategies to overcome these educational hurdles. “We have called you here to tell you our side of the story as a union and to hear from you how best we can collectively move our education system out of its current quagmire,” he said.
During the event, retired Professor Sylvester Alubo advocated for full autonomy for public universities to ensure their optimal productivity. He argued that granting autonomy would address many of the challenges currently facing the educational system, pointing out that government interference in university operations is less common in other parts of the world.
In addition, Professor Alubo discussed the growth of universities in Nigeria and urged the government to act quickly to address this problem. He emphasized that inadequate compensation for university instructors is the primary cause of the growing departure of scholars from Nigeria, a phenomenon known locally as the “Japa” syndrome. Alubo demanded that the lecturer pay scale be reviewed in order to bring it into compliance with international norms and the realities of Nigeria’s present economic situation.
The vice chancellor of the University of Jos, Professor Tanko Ishaya, praised ASUU for planning the town hall. He reaffirmed the calls for the federal government to agree to ASUU’s demands, stressing how important they are to preserving the nation’s university system’s ability to function and produce results.
A wide range of stakeholders, including parents, students, market and transportation unions, security services, and government representatives, showed out for the town hall gathering. This wide range of engagement highlights how well acknowledged the concerns are and how urgently cooperative efforts to address them are needed.
