The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has proffered solution to the ongoing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foreibner resident in South Africa.

The union called on President Muhammadu Buhari to use the opportunity of the attacks to properly reposition and fix Nigeria.

ASUU said Nigerians would not be forced to join the increasing army of global migrants and wanderers in search of elusive greener pastures if their country was economically buoyant and politically stable.

The ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who briefed reporters at the end of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), also urged the Buhari administration to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s education sector.

Ogunyemi, who was flanked by the ASUU-FUNAAB Chairman, Dr. Adebayo Oni and other union leaders, decried the poor living condition in Nigeria which is forcing citizens to flee.

The ASUU president noted that as the Federal Government begins the evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa in response to xenophobic attacks, adequate and sustainable welfare package should be activated for the evacuees.

He explained that with the increasing insecurity, mindless betrayal of the people’s trust by elected politicians, mass unemployment of the teeming youths, ethno-religious conflicts and rising cases of violent crimes and criminalities in the country, there are ominous signs of a failing Nigerian nation.

Ogunyemi submitted that if Nigerian leaders fix the country, the citizens would prefer to stay back and rather contribute their quota to its development.

He said: “We have the resources to compete and beat South Africa on any ground such that the respect would be mutual. But, today, they see us as dependent, inferior and people they could just discard with.

“If you go to South African universities, maybe 50 per cent of their top notch scholars are people from Nigeria or tutored by Nigerians. The academic and intellectual community in South Africa respect Nigerians. But when you now start to compete with their income section, there is bound to be conflict.

“If we fix our country, South Africa will respect us. We lost our respect the moment we can no longer cater for our citizens. Even if we bring back people from South Africa and we don’t have plans for them, they will still find a way of going back.

“ASUU believes that Nigeria is not inferior to any country in this world. What we only need to do is to get our acts right; fix our country; even leading countries in the Western world will respect us. We remain dependent and that is why we call Nigeria dependent peripheral rentier country. Nigeria operates at the fringes of global economy.

“If we have a country that does not respect her intellectual community, that country will never witness what we call transformation because education is the catalyst to development.”

The union leader lamented that the critical sector of the Nigerian nation, including education, health and power, had continued to deteriorate on account of wanton corruption and the alleged deliberate mismanagement of the economy by an insensitive and reckless ruling class.

He also condemned the move by the National Assembly to purchase exotic vehicles for Senators and House of Representatives members, describing it as insensitive and provocative.

Ogunyemi warned that if the nation’s leaders failed to find solution to the problems confronting the country, they risk being stoned by the citizens.

The ASUU president said: “Nigerians have been subjected to decreasing infrastructural decay, abandoned educational institution and accumulation of months of unpaid salaries in many states and decrease in value of lives and properties.

“It is not only uncharitable that a government that is still foot-dragging in finalizing the framework for paying the minimum wage at a time our National Assembly is planning to spend billions of naira on the purchase of exotic luxury vehicles for themselves; it is not only uncharitable, it is inhuman.

“Over 70 per cent of Nigerians could not afford two meals and we have a timid population that call themselves legislators and other categories of politicians. They move about in armoured cars against the needs at a time those who suffered under rain and sunshine to put them in office are languishing in abject poverty.

“They are insensitive to the point that they are telling us they want to buy what they called exotic cars. It is provocative and at a time Nigerians become fully conscious, they would be stoned.

“A time will come that the rich would not be able to sleep when the poor are hungry. And that is what the Nigeria ruling class is not recognizing. We are in a pathetic situation; they don’t know the enormity of the war of revenge that awaits them. If they know, they will democratise education.”

He restated the commitment of ASUU to repositioning Nigerian universities for the radical transformation of the country.

“Towards this end, we call on all progress-loving workers, media practitioners, civil society organisations and friends of Nigeria to continue to support ASUU in our struggle for a transformative education for the betterment of Nigeria,” Ogunyemi added. (New Telegraph)

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