A fresh crisis is brewing the academic community as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Executive Secretary of the National University Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, of embezzling the annual N100 billion Stabilisation Fund provided by the Federal Government for the commission to improve facilities in federal universities.
A lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka who is also the Chairman of the Nsukka Zone of ASUU, Dr. Chidi Osuagwu, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must investigate Okojie on the allegation.
To him, the on-going ASUU strike would have been avoided if the Stabilisation Fund was properly managed.
But one of the senior officials of NUC said for Osuagwu to have made the allegation showed that he does not know the internal working arrangement of NUC.
“Let him go and ask his Vice Chancellor. Money for the improvement of facilities is disbursed through a channel and all VCs know how this is done. If ASUU does not know, they they should not come out to exhibit their ignorance. Prof Okojie will not even dignify such a ridiculous accusation with an answer”.
Osuagwu said: “We have not seen anything done with the stabilisation fund. If the NUC has been spending the money as expected, there would not have been this strike in the first place as the issues demanded by ASUU would have been sorted out.
“The EFCC and other responsible agencies of government should investigate this matter in the interest of the growth of education in the country. ASUU embarked on the current strike as a result of the failure of the Federal Government to implement the agreement it willingly entered into with ASUU in October, 2009.
“Between 2009 and 2011, ASUU had made serious efforts in getting the government to implement the agreement by even embarking on warning strikes, but government on its side paid deaf ears to these efforts.
“It is important to inform the public that the current strike by ASUU is not meant to make any fresh demands on government, but squarely to ask government to rise to the challenges of responsible governance by fulfilling the provisions of an agreement which it freely signed four years ago.”
“ASUU feels embarrassed by the rumours making the rounds that the on-going strike would be called off tomorrow (Thursday)”.
He said the strike would continue unless the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement is fully implemented. “It is regrettable a situation whereby the country spends 25 per cent of its budget on members of the National Assembly, but cannot meet the 26 per cent requirement for the funding of education as prescribed by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO).
