ASUU should engage presidential candidates

Sir: With only two clear months to the presidential election, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) should avoid the temptation of resorting or a renewal of the strike option.

This caution isn’t because its case was lacking in merit. It is important to, at this point in the struggle, factor in public perception.

My position is that ASUU should look beyond the current government for the resolution of the impasse. We need to move forward. It should peep into the future, request social scientists among its members to randomly select a representative sample of potential electors from voter register, gauge its opinion on the candidate likely to win the presidential election.

ASUU should keep the result but still go ahead to negotiate with almost all candidates. ASUU should be guided by the outcome of this scientific survey in deciding who to engage on the future and funding of higher education in Nigeria. ASUU will thereafter counsel its members on conclusions reached with all presidential candidates and after it had extracted promises and signatures from them. To avoid untoward backlash, ASUU leadership is being asked to still engage all candidates in spite of the outcome of its survey.

• Professor Lai Olurode