‘Shun divide and rule’, Shehu Sani advises university lecturers in aftermath of CONUA registration

A former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani, on Tuesday, cautioned university academics in Nigeria to be careful, and not adopt divide and rule tactics.

Sani’s admonition came shortly after the Federal Government submitted a certificate of registration to the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), a breakaway group of the lecturers’ union, in light of unresolved issues with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The government also registered the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA).

While conveying the approval in Abuja on Tuesday, Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, said: “I Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige, in the exercise of the power conferred on me as the Honourable Minister of Labour & Employment, do hereby approve the registration of – Congress of Nigeria University Academics (CONUA), and Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics (NAMDA).”

“In view of this registration, you are entitled to all rights and privileges acruable to union of similar status which include right to receive check off dues of members. You can now go back to your institutions and open the doors of your classrooms to teach the students”, he added.

However, Sani in a Facebook post condemned the lack of cooperation by University lecturers in the country.

The former legislator cited the failure of parallel Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and others, stressing the insensitivity of the Government towards the education system.

He, thus, charged lecturers to rally around ASUU in order to ensure the continued survival of Nigerian public universities.

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He said: “Nigerian university lecturers should rally round ASUU to realise the goals of their struggle. Divide and rule will only help the government and the ruling political class. There was past attempts to create a parallel NLC and a parallel NBA and parallel NANS which was resisted.

“Those in power today will be out of power tomorrow. They are not registering new Unions to meet the demands of the lecturers or students, they are registering a new body to submit and surrender to the interest of the Political establishment.

“How can a Government that has borrowed over $30 Billion yet forgot to fund public education? If you are divided, the University system will continue to live on crumbs.”

By Ambali Abdulkabeer…

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