LAGOS, Nigeria (PANA) - Teachers of Nigeria's mainly state-run universities
have threatened to go on strike, unless the government reversed its decision 
to appoint six of the country's former leaders as university chancellors.

President Olusegun Obasanjo's government last week appointed military 
generals Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, Muhammadu Buhari and Abdulsalami
Abubakar, as well as second republic president, Shehu Shagari, and former
interim head of state, Ernest Shonekan, as chancellors of the country's six
oldest universities.

In such capacities, the former leaders are expected to wield some amount 
of powers on the administration of the higher institutions of learning.

Rejecting the decision, the university teachers' umbrella body, the
Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), said the six "are not
fit to be chancellors of Nigerian universities."

"We shall accept as university chancellors only Nigerians who have honour 
and integrity, democratic credentials, respect for intellectualism, a record 
of contribution to education and democratic governance," ASUU president 
Oladipo Fasina said.

The union singled out for criticism during their respective tenures, Gowon,
Babangida and Buhari, saying that "leaders who orchestrated profligacy,
military dictatorship with its characteristic executive lawlessness,
suppression of student associations and workers unions, are not wanted on 
the campuses."

Gowon ruled Nigeria for some nine years until 1975, when he was toppled in 
a coup by Gen. Murtala Mohammed, for failure to name a handover date.

Obasanjo, who succeeded the late Mohammed as a military ruler, handed over
power to a democratically elected president, Shagari, who was toppled in
another coup by Buhari in December 1983.

Buhari himself was ousted in the August 1985 coup by Babangida, who ruled 
for eight years with a transition programme that ended in the annulment of 
the 1993 presidential election that threw Nigeria into political turmoil.

Before he was forced out of office in August 1993, Babangida appointed the
Shonekan-led interim administration sacked by the late military ruler, Gen.
Sani Abacha, in November 1993.

Abubakar took over when Abacha died in June 1998 and midwived a successful
transition programme leading up to his handover of power to Obasanjo in May
1999.

ASUU said it lacked confidence in the former leaders, warning that unless 
they were withdrawn as chancellors, the teachers would go on strike.

The union had given the government a 14-day ultimatum last week to resume
negotiations with it on proper funding of universities and better pay for
teachers.

It warned that government failure to keep to an agreement it entered into
with university teachers in 1999, would lead to a disruption of academic 
work on the campuses.

"We will not be responsible for trouble on campuses resulting from 
government's (in)action," the union added. 

                                                                    

              Copyright © 2000 Panafrican News Agency.  

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