For four months and still counting, all federal and state
government run (public) universities were shut down by the industrial action
commenced by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
One among many pecuniary issues/grudges that precipitated the
obscenely prolonged public university system's forced shut down [which has
become the mother of all strikes in Nigeria] was the agitation by the
teachers for enhanced allowances and wages. As one local but iconic musician
had sang in the past about 'money palava/trouble', money for most public
workers is the beginning of wisdom.
Ironically, the university teachers have the sympathy of certain
critical minded people in the society for protesting the unwholesome breach by
the federal government of its legal contractual obligation to meet with the
terms of a binding agreement reached with the university teachers in 2009.
Other persons are worried that these academics have allowed the love of money
to becloud their sense of reasoning.
One among the germane reasons that the university teachers
still enjoy some form of limited sympathy from genuine rational Nigerians is
because of the rot in the public university system but again, this systemic and
institutional rot was partly created by some illegal activities of even
the university teachers themselves including but not limited to gross
professional indiscipline; sexual harassment of female teachers and bribe- for
-higher- marks syndrome encouraged by these ‘learned’ minds. Some of these
public university teachers have been accused of also doubling as privately
hired tutors in some privately run universities that are in session even as
Children of poor families in public universities are shut out of university
education for four months now.
In saner climes, the public intellectuals and academics are some
of the most respected patriots of their respective nations because they
basically put the interest of public good, the good of their students and the
good of humanity at heart even before their pecuniary benefits before doing
their best to build a better society.
In developed societies in Europe and America, scholars,
scientists, creative minds genuinely embark on scholarship and other intense
creative activities so as to invent innovative devices and ideas that would
greatly improve the welfare of humanity and deep at the back of their minds is
not the financial benefits that may accrue therefrom but they do all these out
of passion and genuine love for mankind.
Although most contemporary Europeans and Americans have and/or are
on the verge of abandoning the active practice of their Christian conservative
religious values, but at the same time, it is only in those climes that you find
out that gifted and talented people embark on various activities that would
genuinely empower humanity and make the world a better place. Mark Zuckerberg,
the young American man who invented the popular social media- Facebook did this
out of his love for common humanity and promote friendship but see how so
richly endowed he has become from the fruits of his labour which he genuinely
did out of passion?
Like what is clearly stated by the Bible (Mathew 6:33) that
genuine creative minds should seek first the kingdom of God and the rest shall
be added unto them, in Europe and America whereby organized religions are
giving way rapidly to atheism, most scholars and other creative minds still
devote their entire career to the service of humanity.
But in Nigeria, those who ought to show the light of patriotism so
others will follow are not prepared for this altruistic assignment but have
cleverly invented a new phrase that the reward of a teacher is on earth and not
just in Heaven.
The narratives above are necessitated by the uncommon patriotism
in generous supply in the public life and service of the current Nigeria’s
national football coach-Mr. Stephen Okechukwu Keshi who against all odds has
brought back smiles to faces of Nigerians at a time that over 100 million
Nigerians live in absolute poverty and destitution (apologies to recent world
Bank report).
Keshi or the big boss as his contemporaries in the game of
football call him, is about the only Nigerian public worker who would be owed
over 7 months salaries and allowances and continues to deliver results in his
chosen field of human endeavour even when his employer-Nigerian football
federation are in criminal breach of an extant contract.
Keshi is being owed 7 months salaries alongside his other members
of the coaching crew but he has remained magnanimous and resilient and has gone
ahead to secure qualification for Nigeria to the 2014 senior World Cup coming
up in Brazil without engineering any strike action or did he ever contemplate
sabotaging Nigeria's qualification to the World Cup as most Nigerians in his
shoes would do if owed this long stretch of accumulated wages by an employer
that is clearly not known to be prudent with public fund and under whose
watch several foreign denominated amounts grew wings and disappeared without
any trace. Keshi continues to work even when he is owed.
If you doubt my profound praises for Coach Stephen Keshi, then
take a walk to the office of the Nigerian minister of Labour and Productivity
Mr. Emeka Wogu to read his ministerial briefing presented on July 23rd 2013 to
see the high volume of industrial disputes that he has had to confront within
so short a time frame.
In the report the Labour minister presented to the National
working committee of the national ruling political party-Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) we learnt that Nigeria has had some of the highest industrial
disputes than most counties of the world.
Emeka Wogu, the Aba, Abia State-born Lawyer and politician had
written thus; “Generally, the Ministry within the year; accomplished the
following: receipt and resolution of labour complaints from all States of the
federation; 213 number of Labour Complaints and Trade Disputes were declared
and 174 of the declared trade disputes were resolved through mediation and Conciliation
by the Minister of Labour & Productivity in the exercise of the statutory
powers conferred on the office. While 25 cases were resolved through referral
for Arbitration/Judicial Adjudication, and 14 cases were still on-going.”
Just before Nigeria divested ownership of publicly built
electricity power plants to some choice ‘buyers’ in the private sector with
effect from October 2013, workers of the now defunct National electricity power
Authority (Power Holden Company) threatened to undermine the privatization
process except their accumulated financial settlements/pay offs were met.
The Nigerian government coughed out N360 billion to pay off the
agitated former public electricity workers before the full privatization of
electricity took effect. These erstwhile public electricity workers who got
generous financial settlements do not wish to become as genuinely patriotic as
Stephen Keshi and this is because they are aware that most of those who
populate public offices award themselves generous allowances and salaries far
and above what the law says.
Keshi and his crew members who still do wonderful things with
Nigeria’s National football teams amidst financial constraints are indeed
uncommon heroes and patriots if indeed patriotism still means the love of one’s
country far and above the love of self.
It is not in doubt that patriotism is the rarest virtue in Nigeria
much more than virginity because even with the fast decline in moral values,
there are still many young women who have chosen to remain virgins.
Patriotism in Nigeria is rarer than even the ten rarest animals
world-wide such as the Pinta Island tortoise, the Baiji (Yangtze River
Dolphin); The Vancouver Island marmot and seven others listed in www.greenexpander.com.
For instance, in the United States, engagement in public service
such as holding public offices are mostly done by public spirited individuals
who have achieved fame, fortune and a place of pride in their chosen careers.
But in my country of birth-Nigeria, most people go into politics and public
life with the polluted and corrupt mindset of self aggrandizement/enrichment by
outright theft of public fund meant for building infrastructure and providing
basic urgent social services such as health care.
Keshi is worth being celebrated as a hero and a great patriot who
should be taught and indeed become a major chapter in the social and
educational curriculum in public schools to children as part of civic education
so our children who are growing up under this absolutely money
suffocating/conscious environment could learn and accept the fact that patriots
who give their time, talents and gifts to the service of nation and public good
do not end up not being celebrated.
For Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi born on January 23rd 1962, my
word of encouragement is that he should continue to be who he is-great patriot
and an uncommon pragmatic demonstration of patriotism.
+ Emmanuel
Onwubiko; Head; Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria; blogs
@www.huriwa.blogspot.com; http://www.huriwa.org
20/11/2013
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