THE PROBLEM

As President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurates Advisory Committee on the controversial National Dialogue today, Monday October 7, again the challenge among others, lies in the sincerity of purpose and the capacity of the administration to hold a meaningful dialogue on a national scale. The persistent twin crisis in the country’s university system which has led to a 3 month-long lecturers’ strike and PDP’s internal war of attrition sadly under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan puts serious doubt on the capacity of the administration to facilitate a national conference.

AremuACID TESTS FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Certainly two national issues that have added to the existing national security challenge in the recent time are the ongoing ASUU strike and internal crisis within the President’s ruling People’s Democratic Party. If the President, his men and women cannot resolve the university crisis given the existing country’s robust labour laws and rich collective bargaining and dialogue traditions, what trust can the nation put on the administration to handle a national conversation on more naughty issues of national development? President Jonathan must come with clean hands on simple conflict resolutions before he can be further entrusted with national conversation of such importance. So far, the President’s record with conflict resolutions through dialogue either with ASUU, his ruling party or Nigeria Governors’ Forum is not inspiring. As long as the micro-crises persist and even getting messy (as non-Academic workers also join ASUU on strikes) this administration suffers feet of clay to deliver a bigger macro- national dialogue of any kind unless we are unwittingly going to fund national diatribes of unimaginable consequences for 165 million people.

One possible best way the President can demonstrate he is a sincere advocate of a national dialogue is through a sincere and open dialogue with ASUU; immediate implementation of the agreement reached with ASUU, reopening of the Nigerian universities and getting students back to school. A national conference against a background of unresolved avoidable sector crisis like university, is nothing but a conference of diversion, a cheap flight from good governance and above all a waste of scarce resources needed among others to resolve the education sector crisis. Nigeria must not be a debating society about sharing resources but be a performing economy generating the desperately needed goods and services for the millions of unemployed and under-employed Nigerians begging to add value to national development. The President, governors and legislators were elected to deliver good governance they promised. They should not take cheap refuge in a so-called National Dialogue they never promised the electorate in the first instance. It’s also about keeping promise and faith with the governed.
Issa Aremu mni

General Secretary, Textile Workers’ Union and VICE PRESIDENT, NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC)