On October 2nd, the Federal Government registered two factional academic unions- Congress of Nigerian Universities Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA).
The new factions were also conferred equal rights and privileges of their parent union – Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Regardless of the new organizations by the government, Nigerian undergraduates in public tertiary institutions are still yet to return to school, lectures are still underpaid; universities remain shutdown and the universities still lagging in infrastructure developments in tune with education trends.
The government should prioritize to revitalize the tertiary institutions and not fashion more unions that may still fall out with them in the long run. The government should recall the saying that ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ and thus work alongside with ASUU, provide the basics, compromise where necessary to reopen the nation’s universities.
