Nigerians have lambasted Adamu Adamu, Nigeria’s minister of Education for heading out to London in a bid to resolve the lingering crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) while students remain at home, THE WITNESS reports.
Nigerian varsities have been shut for over one months following the strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which Adamu has not been able to resolve.
On Wednesday, presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, released a photograph of the Education minister with President Muhammadu Buhari and the embattled chairman of the APC caretaker committee and Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, all smiling.
THE WITNESS gathered that Adamu had gone to London with Buni to plead with Buhari to allow the Yobe governor continue as chairman of the party, which the president agreed to. The president’s assent was made known by Adesina in a statement on Wednesday directing APC governors to work with Buni to organise the party’s convention.
It would be recalled that on Monday last week, Abubakar Sanni Bello, Niger State governor, allegedly on Buhari’s orders, stormed the APC national secretariat and pronounced self chairman of the party’s caretaker committee, a development that set off series of controversies, with INEC ultimately failing to recognize his leadership, which forced the party to backtrack.
Amid the crisis, Adamu, who is known to be a very close confidant of the president, took Buni to him in London and after a reconciliation meeting, the president issued a statement asking that the Yobe governor be allowed to lead the party into its upcoming national convention, billed for March 26.
Recall THE WITNESS reported that ASUU on Monday, extended its ongoing one-month warning strike by eight weeks after talks with the federal government failed to resolve outstanding issues.
In a statement issued after the meeting, Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU president, said, “NEC was disappointed that government did not treat the matters involved with utmost urgency they deserved during the four-week period as expected of a reasonable, responsive, and well-meaning administration.
“NEC viewed government’s response, so far, as a continuation of the unconscionable, mindless, and nonchalant attitude of the Nigerian ruling elite towards the proven path of national development which is education.
“NEC acknowledged the intervention efforts, in various ways, by patriots and friends of genuine national development to expeditiously resolve the crisis which government’s disposition had allowed to fester.
“NEC concluded that government had failed to satisfactorily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) within the four-week roll-over strike period.
“NEC resolved that the strike be rolled over for another eight weeks to give government more time to address all the issues in concrete terms so that our students will resume as soon as possible.”
But while Adamu may have succeeded in resolving the issues in APC, many Nigerians were taken aback by his decision to abandon the more pressing issue of ASUU strike, which is his primary responsibility as education minister, to pursue political matters.
Sharing his thoughts on the development, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, a prominent rights activist, noted that it was unreasonable for Adamu to be in London over APC crisis while students were at home.
“Nigeria’s students are at home with their parents because the universities are shuttered,” Odinkalu wrote via his Twitter handle. “Meanwhile, in London, the minister of Education, Adamu Adamu goes to school in the @OfficialAPCNg House of failed coup.
Prof Farooq Kperogi, @farooqkperogi, US-based academic, in his own intervention, berated Adamu and Buhari for, according to him, destroying the country and jetting out to London to have a good time.
“They brought Nigeria to its knees & are congregating in the UK to celebrate. Buni has ignited turmoil in APC,” he said. “Buhari has put the economy, petrol supply, & electricity in the toilet. Adamu has ensured that ASUU is on strike. They caused 90% of Nig.’s problems they’ve run away from.”
Similarly, DeborahToluwase, @DeborahToluwase, a member of PUNCH editorial board, wondered why the education minister should be in London while ASUU is on strike.
“My own is that why is the education minister, Adamu Adamu in London while ASUU strike is on??” she inquired.
Another Twitter user, Malancy, @NaseerAjumawa, while berating the trio of Buhari, Adamu and Buni, noted that “Adamu Adamu set Nigerian educational system on crisis.
“Mai Mala Buni has created diversity and chaos in their party APC.
“Buhari has finished Nigeria at all levels.
“But they are there in London chillin comfortably.”
Yet, another user, JAGABAN, @abbakarrogo_, said “-President Muhammadu Buhari -Minister Of Education Prof. Adamu Adamu -Governor Of Yobe State Maimala Buni.
“All they’re going to tourism London, but ASUU And Students Are In Houses
No Education, No Study, No Lectures.”
On his part, Elder Seun @iamseunalaofin, noted that Adamu should not be a minister of education in today’s Nigeria.
“It’s March 2022 and we should not have someone Like Adamu Adamu as the Minister of Education,” he said.
“NANS executive deserve packs of fearless energy drink for facing the minister and telling him the truth he knows. Nigerians deserve good leadership!!
Yet, Imma, @comrkwada, noted: “Buhari: Minister of petroleum= no fuel, no electricity in the country.
Mallam Adamu Adamu, minister of education= schools on strike.
Gov. Mai Mala Bumi, chairman APC Convention Planning Committee = the APC committee divided like never before.”
ASUU had embarked on a one-month warning strike on February 14 after a similar deliberation of the union’s NEC.
It accused the federal government of reneging on the agreements it reached to suspend its last industrial action in 2020.
ASUU also argued that the strike had followed the government’s attitude towards the renegotiation of salaries and allowances as well as the adoption of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) payroll software.
The union rejected the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), claiming it is “inconsistent”.
The government referred UTAS to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to conduct a user acceptance test (UAT) and vulnerability assessment and penetration test (VAPT) prior to the final deployment in an ongoing process that commenced on March 3.
On March 10, Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of NITDA, declared that UTAS failed the three integrity tests.
ASUU, however, tackled the NITDA for claiming its proposed payroll software failed integrity tests.
Osodeke also accused the agency of misleading the public.
