A professor of Political Science at the University of Jos, Professor Mustapha Gimba, on Thursday, faulted the Federal Government for dragging the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to the industrial court and subsequently getting a judgement in its favour.
He said the Federal Government cannot whip and later intimidate lecturers into resuming classes, adding that lecturers have fundamental human rights that need to be respected.
Professor Gimba, a one-time political adviser in the office of the former President Goodluck Jonathan, noted that compelling matured men of integrity through a competent court of jurisdiction would not bring out the best in them; rather, a continuous half-baked brain that would not stand the test of time.
DAILY POST recalls that the industrial court sitting in Abuja had ordered lecturers back to work.
Already, the ASUU had responded to the court judgment through its National President, Emmanuel Osodeke, saying lecturers cannot be compelled to return to classes in the event of an order by the National Industrial Court of Arbitration.
Professor Gimba, therefore, urged the court and the Federal Government to rescind their decision and take a decision that best suits the interest of students and the lecturers, adding that “you can force a donkey to the river, but you cannot force it drink water.”
“As academia, fathers of the university students and lecturer for years in practice, forcing lecturers to resume classes is not in the best interest of lecturers. Students may not get what they wanted as most lecturers may not be happy, if their demands are not met,” he said.
According to him, lecturers had suffered untold hardship from the government, as there is a need to iron out all grievances peacefully and amicably.
