ASUU Strike: NLC Political Indifference, Hypocrisy.

ASUU Strike: NLC Political Indifference, Hypocrisy.

Bad governance has been distinguishably characterised with the Nigerian government from time immemorial. It’s no more news. Nevertheless, a union such as the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is a major player in checkmating and frowning at the arbitrariness of government by leading the whole country in a national protest, before things get completely out of hand. Traditionally, therefore, the NLC, though a pressure group, has become the last hope for Nigerians, by shutting down the country with a view to propelling the government to immediately listen to the people, in respect to the agitation at hand.

According to the explanation derived from the definition of government as an academic field of study, the primary function and subject goal of any pressure group is to influence the decisions and actions of the government in favour of its members. However, the NLC has deviated from this responsibility, but conversely, influences the decisions of the government to fester the lives of its members. Besides the economic inflation which tremendously overrides the purchasing power of the meagre salary the government pays the members, their children, also, are held down from getting stable education. This time around, what meaningful thing or step has the NLC leadership done or taken to assuage the bitterness of its members?

In 2014, the NLC staged a nationwide protest against the former president Goodluck Jonathan led administration over a sudden hike in the price of petrol. The protest was heavily participated by Nigerians. Moreover, the allegation that the protest was motivated and sponsored by the then opposition party was very close to the truth. Having mounted the heavy-laden pressure on the government, the decision to dance to the people’s tune became inevitable for the president. Thus, the NLC, obviously, plays a pivotal role as a watchdog to the government.

Dishearteningly, the ASUU strike has lingered for close to two years only in this APC seven years  of administration in Nigeria. It’s a surprise that the radical NLC is spellbound and muted for seven bad years of complete moribundity of all sectors of governance, most especially, the education sector. On a rare occasion, the NLC staged a warning protest over the ASUU strike which was of no effect. It was just a public holiday for its members to walk around the street and later go back home to study their frivolous bones.

Apparently, the NLC leadership, just like Sunday Asephon, (the frenemy in the colouration of NANS president), is occupied by people who have been covertly motivated and manipulated by the guile Nigerian government. This government, in all ramifications, particularly education, is the worst administration since the inception of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Reasonably so, the government has engaged the NLC chairman and other stakeholders therein in underhanded political insincerely just to make sure the group keeps quiet and continue watching the government frustrating and sabotaging the future of Nigerian students with unnecessary strike while political activities continue unabated.

For the sake of history, the name of the current NLC chairman is Ayuba Wabba. In record, let it be written and kept that in his own time, public education, among other deficiencies, dies like a woman who has died long ago. It is also expedient to note that, henceforth, critical scrutiny for accessment of nationalistic prowess and humanitarian acuity should be objectively exercised before any individual would be elected into comradeship positions. Doing this would deter politically affiliated people from getting to the zenith of such sensitive positions. To a large extent, brusqueness demands that a spade should be called a spade and not a shovel. Ipso facto, the current NLC leadership is a major playmaker in the downcast  of education as well as other institutions in Nigeria.

Written by Makinde Raphael Tobi