ASUU Strike: FUND OR SHUTDOWN- Prof. Osodeke
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has advised the Federal Government to either fund Universities or shut them down. The National President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, recently insisted that government must implement the agreement it signed with the Union in 2009.
Prof. Osodeke also said this in a response to the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, who during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, stated that the Federal Government did not have the funds to meet its obligations with ASUU, hence the government was considering a renegotiation of the terms of the agreement made in 2009 with ASUU.
In response to this, Prof, Osodeke, said the governement is always hesistant and seldom complains of lack of funds when it comes to improving or investing in the University Education system.
In his words: “The Nigerian type of politician does not take education seriously. Can they give the citizens a detailed account of how much they’ve spent on COVID-19? I can assure the public that crisis in education right now is10 times what COVID-19 is because what shapes a nation is good education. If it collapses, you have nothing. The governemnt has been building railways here and there, They bailed out DISCOs (electricity distribution companies) which they sold to private people, they are still selling prepaid meters Nigerians and making money, yet when it has to do with education that will shape the future of this country, the governemnt complains of not having money.”
Prof. Osodeke also criticized the increase in tour allowances, and how the president’s wife recent birthday celebration in Dubai. Where the wives of governors with their aides travelled all the way from Nigeria to celebrate with her in Dubai.
Furthermore, Prof. Osodeke said politicians spend hundreds of millions of naira for their children‘s education in the UK; yet they complain of lack of money.
“The government spent upto $8 million just to evacuate Nigerian students from Ukraine, and yet they lay false claims about not having money.
“The children of the poor suffer here in Nigerian Universities while their children get quality education outside the country, graduate and come back here to take the juicy jobs, and keep lording it over children from poor backgrounds. It’s a class issue. For us, the option is for them; its either they shut down all the Universities and let all the children go and learn mechanics or they fund the Universities.”
He also reacted to Ngige’s statement about the government calling for renegotiation of the 2009 agreement it signed with ASUU.
Osodeke stated, “We are not signing any agreement or MoU with them. They should implement what they agreed upon 13 years ago. At that time, the exchange rate was one dollar to less than N100.00, but now, the exchange rate is one dollar to more than N500.00. Even the value of that money before we agreed in 2019 had already been reduced.
“We are done with renegotiations, but if they have gone back to their principals that there is an area we should review, we will look at it, we are ready.
The Union has suggested the governement it is either they shutdown Universities and prepare for outrage from the youths or solve the payment issue once and for all so things will improve and we too can have foreign students who would pay tuition in dollars come to study in Nigeria, and foreign lecturers can also teach here too.
