A Senior Lecturer, Department of English, University of Lagos, Dr. Adeyemi Daramola, has discredited claims in the media that lecturers in the institution have resumed work against directives of the ASUU.
While appearing on the breakfast show, ‘Sunrise Daily’, he said “May I correct that impression, and I will be glad if Channels Television would take it today that we really don’t have a faction at the University of Lagos, what we have is a group of young intellectuals; young in the sense that (they believe) we (ASUU) are not pragmatic enough, (and) who have alternative positions about all the matters that concern ASUU.”
Daramola, who also confirmed being one of the leaders of the said group with alternative views, stated that since the commencement of the strike on July 1, there was no meeting of ASUU held in the school that he did not attend. “I have said it crystal clear that please publicize our position, we’re not fighting for ourselves, we are fighting for the nation. So there was this lack of communication between members of ASUU, University of Lagos branch and the national executive.
“You won’t believe it that it is because some of us (the group) planned to hold a meeting on Monday, 2 weeks ago that ASUU UNILAG branch woke up and started calling meetings almost every day. The alternative point of view is that “ASUU is not communicating; ASUU has assumed – and they don’t like to hear this, what I call an oracular position.”
“The ASUU problem is a kind of product from a linguistic perspective that I belong, and there’s what you call a process; the two have to go together.”
“I am not a government spokesperson….We actually need to revitalize the university system but ASUU is not going about it properly. Look at it, ASUU are intellectuals but to me their postures are unintellectual in many ways.
He cited the request made to ASUU by the government and Nigerians that ASUU should think and provide an alternative to strike as an example, berating ASUU as intellectuals for having not called series of meetings to address that challenge.
“You won’t believe it; I’ve got two ideas about a university system whereby there will be no strike.”
Sharing his ideas, he suggested the setting up of a pressure group made up of eminent Nigerians like the Sultan of Sokoto, the Oba of Benin, Alafin of Oyo and other Nigerians who have made their mark in governance, military and the private sector to engage the government in negotiations on behalf of the Union rather than going on strike.
Speaking passionately, Daramola also berated the university administration for running a system whereby students are not aware of what the lecturer bodies are doing, stating that student representatives should be part of every organization within their universities.
He argued that if truly the students are well trained and the lecturers are truly doing their jobs, they should be able to liaise with students, and “if they believe in what we are doing, if we are really fighting for them, why can’t they be made to go to the National Assembly – students that are properly organized?”
He said that giving the students academic instructions is insufficient if they don’t train them for leadership. “Many universities in Nigeria don’t have Student Union, it’s very sad. We aren’t giving good leadership to students; not in terms of products but in terms of process.”
He expressed sadness over ASUU’s quietness on the continuous complaints from the students and public about lecturers selling hand-outs and giving marks for money, “only to have strong muscles to fight the government. So they aren’t purposeful in their leadership”.
