Mohammad Shuaibu Atabo, a lecturer at the Bayero University, Kano State, has lamented how bad the Nigerian government is treating university lecturers despite making huge sacrifices to reject juicy offers from abroad to remain in the country.
Recall that All Facts Newspaper had earlier reported that federal government had wanted to open public universities amidst strike but their efforts met brick wall.
Shuaibu said he was offered employment as a lecturer by a university in the United Arab Emirate in September 2021, but he declined the offer due to his patriotism for Nigeria.
“A job opportunity to work in Dubai came soon after I obtained my PhD from UDUS and a lecturing job offer from Bayero University Kano (BUK).
“Today marks precisely one year since I turned down the offer of appointment from the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Dubai (for easy reference). This was a tough decision I made out of patriotism for my country. I chose to stay back and work in BUK rather than go abroad. I received harsh criticism from my family and friends for making this decision.
“Yes, I applied for the job at UAEU and I was interviewed. Out of over 200 applicants from around the world, I was selected as the top prospect. It was after all preparations were made and I was on the verge of leaving the country that I realised I was not ready to trade my job in Nigeria for the sake of moving abroad,” he mentioned in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning.
Shuaibu lamented that this huge sacrifice made by him for Nigeria was unappreciated, considering the way the Nigerian government handled the issues that propelled the university lecturers to embark on strike since February.
He continued: “Today, those of us in academia who chose to stay back are paying a bitter price because our government entered into several agreements with ASUU and failed to implement them. Gosh!! These are agreements our government voluntarily entered into and signed several years ago.
“After six months of ASUU strike, instead of our government addressing the issue, its best solution was to blackmail ASUU and threaten us with “No Work, No Pay.”
“No wonder our generation is now a “Japa generation,” people now leave this country at the slightest opportunity. We are slaves in our own country,” he added.
ASUU embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14.
On March 14, the union extended the industrial action by another two months to allow the government to meet all of its demands. A 12-week extension was announced on May 9.
Since May 9, the union has remained on strike, vowing to persist until its demands are met.
The academics are seeking improved welfare, revitalisation of public universities and academic autonomy among other demands.
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