A Professor of Political Science, University of Abuja, Sadeeque Abba, has taken a swipe at the nine-month-old strike embarked upon by university lecturers describing it as senseless. Prof. Abba, who is currently the head of the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Abuja; disclosed this during an exclusive interview with New National Star saying as a professor of political science, he was not supporting the ASUU strike because it did not make sense.
His words, “You cannot determine how the government pays you, it is not your responsibility. You determine how much you’re paid, not how you’re paid. The process of paying you is not your responsibility. If this IPPIS is to serve the average Nigerian on the street, the ASUU man is not the only Nigerian in this country, there are other Nigerians. If there are problems, the essence of being an academic is to solve them not to create further problems.
The way out is for ASUU to accept the IPPIS and go back to the classroom and if there are challenges, let ASUU tell the government that these are the challenges and they should solve them.” Prof. Abba who was suspended from ASUU for five years in the past because he stood his ground in a union meeting, said the leaders of ASUU were not sincere, stressing that “they know what they are trying to protect.’
He added,” the slush cash that is within the university system, that is what they are trying to protect which IPPIS is going to take away. While TSA removes almost 70 percent or 80 percent, the remaining 20 percent is what IPPIS wants to remove from their hands.” Speaking on the recent spate of defections across political parties in the country, Prof. Abba said although democracy allowed defection, it was not good for democracy. “ But it is very wrong, absolutely wrong for politicians to turn cross – carpeting into the political culture.
It is not good. That is why we are not moving, it is like everybody is looking for political greener pastures.” Specifically, Prof. Abba said there were too many politicians in Nigeria with very few democrats. “ A democrat will stand firm where he or she is until such principles are fulfilled or until such a person dies in the process. Even a dog can be a politician. Just train it. An intelligent monkey can become a politician, train it. It is not rocket science to be a politician, but it is rocket science to be a democrat. ” “ In Nigeria from Buhari down, we don’t have democrats, they are all politicians, they are fairweather politicians, ready, willing, and able to change platforms at will as if they are changing their Babariga. So, it is not good for democracy.
But Nigerian democracy allows it and celebrates it. For democracy to begin to work in Nigeria we must domesticate democracy within the context of Nigerian history, culture, and belief systems otherwise it will never work for us. We are seeing democracy working for those in New Zealand in Canada and elsewhere. In Malaysia and Indonesia. It works for China, China domesticated democracy into the Chinese system. 1979 it was called democracy with a character, capitalism with a character. We have to domesticate democracy,” he stressed. T
o achieve this, Prof Abba said Nigerians must do one thing;” force democracy to conform to the norms and values of the Nigerian culture and the Nigerian belief system. It’s just like a mass movement. Average Nigerians from every village will just rise up and say we are tired of this situation and we are not even looking for integrity now because we are looking for people who are capable. If they are ruthless and bloodthirsty if they have the capacity to do it, vote them into power.
“ We have to domesticate democracy, nationalise it and Nigerianise it. This democracy we are talking about, even Americans abandoned it in 1826. They created an American dream. And that is how Trump came to power,’ I’ll give back America to you’. He was able to Americanise democracy in 2016 and he spoke the language of an average American on the street and he got voted to power. If you want to establish and allow democracy to work in Nigeria, we must give it the Nigerian face, that is the only way out,” he stressed.
Speaking on the EndSARS protests, Prof. Abba said Nigerian youths were not serious and a bunch of pretenders.” Nigerian youths are the laziest politically and economically. An average Nigerian youth is lazy and unproductive.
They want everything free, it can’t work, and these people, who voted them into power? Was it not the same youths? In 2011 voter registration, 72 million Nigerians registered, 69 million were youths both male and female, they have the capacity to put president, senators in power. What did they do? They are not serious, they are pretending, Nigerian youths are pretenders. If it was another country, EndSARS would have taken over power.”
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