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Cogs in the Wheel: Academic Trade Unionism, Government, and the Crisis in Tertiary Education in Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2014

Edlyne Anugwom
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Abstract:

This article examines the role of academic unionism in the perennial crisis bedeviling the university system in Nigeria. It is the contention here that contrary to officially sponsored opinion, the crisis can be linked to external factors, especially the government's handling of industrial disputes. The crisis in the system, which started in the early 1990s, can be seen as the direct off-shoot of the macro-economic adjustment programs foisted on the country and the subsequent decrease in government funding of the education sector. Nevertheless, the repressive practices of past military regimes have contributed immensely to the crisis, as have the frequent strikes of the the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU). The articles suggests that the crisis can be tackled only with an amelioration of the fundamental problems confronting the system—ranging from underfunding and poor working conditions to excessive government meddling in university governance—and a rethinking of strategies by both the government and ASUU.

Résumé:

Résumé:

Cet article examine le rôle du syndicalisme universitaire dans la crise continuelle qui tourmente le système universitaire nigérien. Nous soutenons ici que contrairement à l'opinion présentée officiellement, cette crise peut être liée à des facteurs extérieurs, et en particulier au traitement par le gouvernement des litiges industriels. La crise du système, amorcée au début des années 1990, peut être considérée comme le prolongement direct des programmes d'ajustement macro-économique imposés au pays, ainsi que la baisse consécutive des subventions du gouvernement dans le secteur de l'éducation. Néanmoins, les pratiques répressives des régimes militaires passés ont énormément contribué à cette crise, tout comme l'ont les grèves fréquentes du syndicat du personnel académique des universités nigériennes, l'Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU). Cet article suggère que cette crise ne peut être combattue que par une amélioration des problèmes fondamentaux auxquels le système se trouve confronté—partant du manque de subventions et des mauvaises conditions de travail, jusqu'à l'implication excessive du gouvernement dans l'administration de l'universite—et par une réévaluation des stratégies, de la part du gouvernement tout comme de l'ASUU.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 45 , Issue 2: African Universities in Crisis and the Promotion of a Democratic Culture , September 2002 , pp. 141 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2002

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