Someone, who I will not mention by name, forwarded memes written in the Hausa language to my WhatsApp number. The content reads: “Tunda naga level coordinator din mu yasa Shadda a status, na karaya.” This means that “I lost hope upon viewing the brocade on the status of level coordinator.” At first glance, of course, one would laugh it out. On second and more critical thought, the memes are a deliberate attempt to ridicule members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), whose salaries have been stopped for the past four months or so by the Buhari government.
This is one of the several unhealthy memes spread on social media about ASUU members and their predicament as a result of the strike. It is not surprising that the person who intentionally shared this meme and his likes are bent on making caricatures of ASUU members. This explains the level of irresponsibility and how mean people can be. In the first place, a university lecturer that converted his/her social media page for the sole purpose of business enterprise signifies that the
lecturer in question is responsible and utilising the strike effectively. When did engaging in business become a subject of ridicule? Or a sheer violation of the code of conduct?
Let me educate the public a little. The job description of all Nigerian academics includes teaching, research, home and community service, or any other duty as assigned by the head of the department. The work has been made flexible to enable lecturers interested in other genuine sources of income to complement the paltry stipend they receive each month. Importantly, lecturers in departments that are practice-based, such as law, medical college, mass communication, theatre, fine arts, and engineering, just to mention a few, have the upper hand in multiple sources of income. This is because they engage in private practice outside of the university job, which in turn serves as’ Plan B’.
Sadly, a portion of the blame goes to the government for reducing the profession to ridicule and making it less attractive because of the absence of a jumbo package and deliberate stoppage of salaries whenever members embark on strike to press home their demands. In a sane society, the system guarantees rights and privileges which include the right to embark on industrial actions without intimidation or sanction.
Kasim Isa Muhammad,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri.
