It's time to seize the palaver of ASUU's salary arrears

My people have a saying, namely, "when you whip a child with your right hand (and he cries), you kiss him with your left (to console and comfort him)" If you don't not the first (when a child is wrong), you are an irresponsible father or parent and if you also fail in the second, you are a mean and thoughtless father. Your case would then be like that of Mr. Tortoise's proverbial in-laws, who didn't know when to say "enough" or, as William Shakespeare advised, left the stage when the ovation was loudest. Tortoise's in-laws caught him in the act of stealing yams from his (in-laws) farm, arrested him and took him home and chained him to a tree in front his house. For a very long time, Turtle's in-laws had wondered who was stealing yams from his barn and didn't know what to do; until the fateful day when he got fed up with his losses and decided to ambush the culprit. That night, Tortoise, thinking that every day was Christmas, slipped out of bed from the warm embrace of Yannibo, his wife, as she slept soundly, put on her camouflage and headed, as usual, towards the farm of his in-laws when all honest man was already in bed with their family. He had forgotten the saying of the ancients that "every day is for the thief but one day is for the owner"

To make matters worse for Tortoise, it was market day that Tortoise got caught. So everyone going to the market saw Mr. Tortoise bound hand and foot outside his in-laws' house and asked what was going on. When Mr. In-law told how he caught Tortoise in the middle of the night stealing yams from his barn, everyone rained curses on Tortoise and called him all sorts of unflattering names. "So it was you who secretly caused your in-laws pain to sympathize with him out in the open?" Crocodile tears! Thief! Shameless idiot! Wicked soul! A man gave you his daughter for wife; yet you would still steal it! Lazy drone! Couldn't you have worked with your own hands? And so on, and so on!

But on the way back from the market, when the villagers again encountered Turtle chained to the tree, the story changed and the tide turned. Blames and curses were now directed at Turtle's in-laws: “Wicked man! Do you want to kill him? How can you be so heartless keeping this man bound hand and foot since morning and under this scorching sun? Isn't he your brother-in-law? And did he steal more than yams? Thus, the Yoruba say: Alo ti ahun; abo ti ana re, which means that the blame when the villagers went to the market was Tortoise's, but when they returned from the market, the blame was transferred to his in-laws who did not understand the principle of moderation . As Orlando Owoh used to sing, if you don't know when to stop, plain water, taken in too much, will turn your stomach like you've had strong wine. Try it and see! Hence also the wisdom of our people that the same mouth that shouts the praises "Adegun" (the crown fits) is the same that will say "Adeogun" (the crown does not fit at all) if you provoke! The lesson here is that we should do everything in moderation. As my grandmother would say: “A jo i dabo oun o muu r'oko eegun” When a masquerade gets carried away and does not know how to stop, it dances until it discovers its own nudity; as it happened to King David in the scriptures! Everyone listen to William Shakespeare's warning and leave the stage when the ovation is loudest.

Therefore, it is time to rule out all matters leading to unrelenting strike action from the ASUU so that our universities can enjoy industrial peace and harmony. The prompt and positive resolution of the FG/ASUU disagreement over the eight months back pay the federal government has refused to pay speakers is critical to achieving this goal. I have strongly condemned ASUU and its latest strike which has been as destructive to the university system as the irresponsible and cavalier attitude of the government towards the funding, not only of universities but of education in general, as well as the resolution other issues that will provide a good environment for our universities to flourish and compete favorably with their counterparts elsewhere. Funding has always been abject here. Over time, this has led to decadence on an odious level in our institutions of higher learning; infrastructure is dilapidated; essential facilities including lecture theatres, hostels, office space and essential edibles are totally lacking or in short supply.

No one who was at these universities three or four decades ago will visit the place today without “weeping, beloved country,” to quote Alan Paton. Libraries and laboratories have become old and disciplines requiring practical demonstration are now taught like arts subjects. How, then, can the products of these institutions be relevant to national development needs and how can they be expected to compete favorably with their counterparts in o...