PLEASE ASK ASUU. “How does an employee dictate to his employer how to pay his salary?” ~ Chis Ngige
“How does an employee dictate to his employer how to pay his salary?”
~ Chis Ngige
As a fresher at the University in 1971/72, there was a big campus riot with students determined to burn down the campus. The students would have it no more from the government. There must be “Autonomy for the University”. Ask any of the students what this demand was about, none could say. It was however for Automomy. Obviously, that protest organized by the Students’ Union must have been instigated by the Staff of the University. How I wish Dr Gordon Osagiede who was later to be the Founder of Spitit and Life Bible Church is still alive. Maybe he would have explained what transpired. He was the President of the Students Union then.
While still spoiling for a fight, news reached us that the Military Governor of the state was coming to address us. He was to meet us in a large Assembly Hall. We all went there waiting for him and swearing that he would know the stuff were were made of.
Suddenly, the man arrived. Surprisingly, though annoyingly too, he was in mufti and no armed soldiers with him. Just some aides carrying big books. Very demoralizing. We want to confront armed soldiers. He entered the hall with a placard of his own. On it was written: “YOU HAVE SAID YOUR OWN, LET ME SAY MINE”. The sight of the one man demonstration gang made everybody in the hall burst into laughter. Then a soldier, know as the most amiable and result oriented military governor of the time, had won Round 1- Tension drowsed.
He walked up to the high table an and pinned his banner to the table. He took his seat with other officials. The twenty or more massive books were neatly stacked on the table with some well dressed staff guiding them. This was like Nollywood. We did not bargain for this. We were out here to take on armed soldiers with our bare hands!!!
Then he started: “I am here today not as a soldier, but a civilian friend of yours. I was on this campus around 8 pm yesterday and mingled freely with many of you. Funny that none of you even recognized me as I discussed freely with groups that talked about how they would burn the campus today. My soldiers were all over too, but I just laughed. So you can see that there is no need for that. We are all friends. I learnt that your problem with the government is that you want Autonomy for the University. That’s good. Now let’s start with the definition of Autonomy”…
“Now, according to America Peoples Encyclopedia, Autonomy is….” Promtly the marked page in one of the massive books on the table was read out.
“According to Encyclopedia Britanica, Autonomy is defined as…” They read from that also.
He continued. They must have read from about ten books.
At the end of the long reading, the governor summarized. “How do you talk about autonomy to spend money when you don’t generate the fund”.
“How do you talk about Autonomy when it is government that pays your salaries”.
“How do you talk about autonomy when in your application letter, the first line was ‘I beg to apply’ and the last line was ‘I am ready to serve in any capacity you place me”?
Again.. On and on and on..
By this time, the students were beginning to wonder if this is what they had been pushed to fight for. They were scanning around if there were lecturers around to devour. No way, they had all vamoosed.
At the end, the governor brought out two pairs of boxing gloves and donated to the students telling us that whenever we were tensed up from reading and needed a way to release bottled up energy, we should pick up the gloves and spar with each other instead of being led astray by disgruntled lecturers.
The hall erupted with loud shouts and jubilation as we rushed to the High Table and carried Colonel Samuel Ogbemudia high up on our shoulders and danced with him to his car. In the meantime, the wilder ones amongst us were still searching for the lecturers that had caused disruption of our peace and studies. They were lucky. There were none around.
————————————————————————
I just remembered this story when I read a headline by Dr. Chris Ngige asking ASUU what gives an employee, the audacity to dictate to his employer, how to pay him. My advice to ASUU is to quietly return to their lecture halls because Soon, very Soon, these students will come after them for the numerous stupid demands that have made in the past that have caused most students to spend six years in school instead of four knowing well that they are not professional students like Dino Maleye. Remember, too, that Sex for Grade thing has not yet died talk less buried.
~ Akin Omoz-Oarhe
