NLC Protest/ASUU Strike: Time To Rescue Nigeria From Shackles Of Anti Democratic Forces Is Now

…Int’l College of Democracy and Human Rights Scholars

Enugu, Nigeria, Thursday, 28^th July 2022

Anti Democratic Forces Are Holding Nigeria Under Grip

The International College of Democracy and Human Rights Scholars, comprising over one hundred erudite academics, int’l democracy and rights campaigners, religious leaders, lawyers and activists;has viewed the two-day solidarity protest by the Leaders of the Nigerian Labor Congress and its affiliates as ‘a welcome development and beginning of final push by democratic forces to rescue Nigeria and Nigerians from shackles of Nigeria’s anti democratic forces’. The Nigerian Government must be compelled by all democratic forces led by NLC and ASUU to end the protracted industrial action of the country’s academic teachers’ union by adhering strictly to outstanding Memorandum of Understandings and Memorandum of Agreements between the Nigerian Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since 2009 and thereafter. The insensitivity towards the ASUU’s protracted industrial action since 14th February 2022, a period of five months and fourteen days, by the present Government of Nigeria and its Sub-National Components is also a clear confirmation that ‘anti democratic forces have taken over the Government of Nigeria and most, if not all its democratic institutions listed under Section 153 of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

It saddens our heart that INEC has become one of such anti democratic institutions and is bent on thickening its plots to calamitously manipulate the Presidential segment of the 2023 General Elections. As it stands, the number of systemic poll rigging plots has independently been identified to have risen to 35. INEC has showcased the above by massively disenfranchising millions of Nigerian citizens of voting age on the grounds of their religion and ethnicity. These are statistically evidenced by shutdown since 30^th of May 2022 of the Commission’s online voters’ registration portal and its deliberate refusal to provide adequate registration machines and personnel across board throughout the country’s registration centers-without discrimination as to religion, ethnicity, gender and class. Part of the Commission’s 35 poll rigging plots is its rush to end Voters’ Registration on 31^st July 2022; 180 days to 2023 General Elections as against the 90 days statutorily stipulated by the amended Electoral Act of 2022. On the other hand, Nigeria’s democratic forces including NLC and ASUU are also called upon not take for granted the imminence of what happened in the failed Republic of Afghanistan several months ago (Jihadist Taliban Revolution and takeover of Government Seat of Power). This may most likely be in the anti democratic plots of the present Nigerian anti democratic forces and promoters of State Jihadism as a “Plan B” to truncate the country’s democratic process and its impending 2023 ‘Ballot Revolution’ and centrally Islamize Nigeria.

ASUU Strike Has Forced University Students Into Immoralities And Crimes

The protracted strike action by ASUU, it must be recalled, was embarked upon following the non-implementation or failure by the Government to honor several Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) reached between ASUU and Federal Government and its Sub-National Components since 2009 and thereafter. The protracted strike has also grounded and ruined the academic activities of the country’s tertiary institutions and exposed students to immoralities and crimes including prostitution, cyber crimes, parental disobedience, kidnapping, sexual violence (.i.e. open and captivity rape or sexual harassment), human trafficking, drug trafficking/addiction; armed robbery, cultism, political thuggery, touting and other forms of crimes against persons and properties. The protracted strike action has also brought about intellectual idleness and mental and material poverty and caused serious setbacks and decays in the country’s tertiary education.

A Nigerian University Professor Must Earn N1M Monthly Plus Improved Conditions Of Service/Study

It is therefore the insistence of the College that the monthly remuneration (basic salary and allowances) of a Professor of Nigerian University presently put at maximum of N416, 000, according to sources, must be unified across board and reviewed upward to N1m monthly or N12m per annum. This must exclude other packages statutorily necessary to boost the teaching conditions and morale of the university teaching academics. To subject Nigerian university teachers to pittances as pay package while the leaders of the country, their families and cronies lavish the country’s earned, borrowed and stolen public funds in rabid opulence, kickbacks and briberies is totally unacceptable. Such was glaringly the case at the recent Presidential Party primaries where a leading contender, through his agents, shockingly offered a bribe of N15m or $25,000 to each of his or her political party delegates. The N15m bribe is equivalent of three years of total pay for a Nigerian University Professor. This is more when Naira has been so devalued that it is presently traded at N670 per $US in black market, in addition to gallop increases in building materials, foodstuffs, transportation and personal items in Nigerian markets.

Signed

For: Int’l College of Democracy and Human Rights Scholars (Inter-College-DRS), Enugu

Prof Jerry Chidozie Chukwuokolo (Activist Prof/Academic)

Email: jerrychidozie@yahoo.com

High Chief Prof Justice Chidi (Activist Prof/Academic)

Email:profchidi12@gmail.com

Dr. Patrick Mbum (Activist Academic)

Email: pambume015@gmail.com

Emeka Umeagbalasi (Criminologist/M.Sc.)

Email: botchairman@intersociety-ng.org

Rev Dr Ahaz Taye (Respected Religious Leader)

Email: tayeahaz@gmail.com