Mark’s comment on ASUU/govt pacts

I feel so dejected and inwardly despaired. I have never felt so desolated about the government and governance of Nigeria. Not even the stupefying squandering of our resources in Nigeria has weighed me down like this because the implication of Senator Mark’s statement if correct is a worse crime meted out to helpless Nigerians than […]

I feel so dejected and inwardly despaired. I have never felt so desolated about the government and governance of Nigeria. Not even the stupefying squandering of our resources in Nigeria has weighed me down like this because the implication of Senator Mark’s statement if correct is a worse crime meted out to helpless Nigerians than the pillaging of our commonwealth.
This comment sent me researching on the composition of the Federal government delegation to that discussion in 2009. I stumbled on a Vanguard newspaper report published in September 2009 (http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/09/asuu-ready-for-negotiation). I was not interested in the detailed account of the negotiations but concerned myself with the actors on government’s side. It is possible they are others, but the newspaper report shows that the following were involved at several points: Deacon Gamaliel Onosede, Professor Greg Iwu, Dr Sam Egwu, Professor Julius Okojie and   Goodluck Jonathan who was the Vice president at the time. They were involved!!!
Who were these people?
 Deacon Gamaliel Onosode: A graduate of University of Ibadan. He was the Chairman of Dunlop Nigeria Plc (1984-2007), chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc (1977-93), Chairman of Zain Nigeria. Mr. Onosode was Presidential Adviser on Budget Affairs and Director of Budget to President Shagari in 1983. He is a Fellow of the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, the Nigerian Institute of Management, of which he was President (1979-82). Mr. Onosode is the inaugural President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers and a former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Uyo.
Preofessor Greg Iwu:  Professor Iwu was (I do not know if he is still there) the Pro Chancellor and chairman of Council of the National Open university of Nigeria. He was appointed to the Teachers Registration Council as the Board Chairman.
Dr Sam Egwu: Dr Sam Egwu was a two term governor of Ebonyi State  from  1999 to 2007. He was the Minister of education when ASUU and the Federal government signed the agreement in 2009. He was recently appointed a member of the Supervisory Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria a company saddled with the responsibility of coordinating electricity transmission between generation and distribution companies.
Professor Julius Okojie: Professor Okojie became a Professor in 1981.  He was the Vice-Chancellor, University of Agriculture, and Abeokuta, 1996 – 2001 (The University was ranked No 1 by NUC accreditation exercise, during his tenure).  He was Chairman, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Federal Universities in 2001.Vice-Chancellor, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State 2005 – 2006. Professor Okojie is the present Executive Secretary of the Nigerian University Commission, a position he has been holding since 2006.
These are the people that Senator Mark describes as not knowing their right from their left, a team that comprised of the current president of the country.  I honestly do not understand what the Senate President was trying to achieve by this statement. This is rather a rude shock to me and I guess to several other people across the length and breathe of this country. President Goodluck Jonathan has gone ahead to become the president of this country. Within the last few years of his term, President Jonathan has signed many agreements with several countries on bilateral and multilateral engagements. My worry now is the level of government’s (President’s) understanding of such agreements. Could it be possible that our government has signed agreements that have probably sold out the future of this great nation? In September, Aso Rock literally relocated to Beijing. Massive agreements were signed between Nigeria and China on infrastructural development in Nigeria. There were huge resentments on this stride much as they were applauses. President Jonathan is currently in Israel and other bilateral agreements on several other sectors with the government will be signed. Are we sure that those involved in these agreements understand the agreements they are signing.  
The ASUU/Federal government agreement of 2009 is a domestic pact which the folks in the PDP would describe as a ‘family affairs’ agreement. Granted ASUU as an interest group will want to protect the interest of his members, but such an agreement will not be laced with technicalities that could have been difficult for that calibre of men negotiating for government to understand. So, if Senator Mark thinks and I am sure he knows what he meant that government negotiators on that table lacked mental rigours to comprehend what ASUU brought to the negotiation, then one becomes terribly afraid of the capacity of our government delegations to international agreements singing to effectively match and understand the document they often sign on behalf of our country. Most of these international agreements are cloaked in a cosmetic and mouth watering offers that snare inarticulate country representatives.
Regrettably many of those in the government’s delegation to the ASUU/Federal government 2009 agreement are still holding sensitive positions for the country. If Senator Mark is serious on his statement then we desire to sit back and reappraise our journey and reconsider our leadership recruitment process. On the other, if he is only trying to play to the gallery, then it will be unfortunate that our tertiary education has become the toilet road grass which serves only the purpose of cleaning accidental faeces.

Uduka wrote from Abuja<[email protected]>;