Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Wednesday, faulted Federal Government’s claim that it released N130 billion to universities before the commencement of the ongoing strike.
The lecturers said it was fraudulent on the part of the government or its representatives to make such a claim when it knows it is not true.
Speaking in Ibadan, the Ibadan zone of ASUU also alerted that government was interested in awarding contracts to build a 4-bed space room at N8.5 million as against the range of N800,000 and N1.2 million it believed was the normal rate.
The Ibadan Zone of ASUU comprises University of Ibadan (UI), Lagos State University (LASU), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, University of Lagos, UNILAG, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) and Tai Solarin University (TASUED).
ASUU said it refused to allow government agents to use the struggle, aimed at revitalising the university education system, to be used to corruptly enrich some people in government.
Against the claim that it had paid the said amount, ASUU
said the Federal Government was yet to release any kobo of the said amount other than the letter written to the governing council of Universities by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“Rather than for government to source for the intervention funds from other agencies outside TETFUND, it has decided to hijack the resources of TETFUND, which already belong to the universities and use it as intervention funds for this purpose. In doing this, the regular intervention of TETFUND is blocked. This attitude of government is fraudulent to say the least”.
The Ibadan Zone of ASUU said this as part of the communique reached at the end of the meeting held at the University of Ibadan addressed by the Zonal Coordinator, Dr Ademola Nasir.
The lecturers lamented the usual deceit by the Federal Government, saying Nigerians should know that ‘no kobo has been released’, while passing a vote of confidence in the national leadership of the union over the current strike embarked upon to force the government to implement the 2009 agreement and the 2012 Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU).
Nasir said it was sad that “a government that says our graduates are not employable found it difficult to put the best of its resources into the system to make it work”, adding that the purported attempt of the government to take the matter to court will amount to a mere distraction, lacking in moral standing to challenge a lawful agreement because the government itself was lawless.
“We are convinced that our nation is endowed with the resources needed to train our children. Nigeria must be free but Nigerians must be ready to struggle for it. If the government loves our children and the country, they would hasten to implement this intervention. But alas, government has without shame been brandishing release of N100b for funding of 59 universities, a number of other educational establishments such as Mathematical centre, French Village, Arabic Centre. Even NUC got a chunk termed administrative cost.
“We view with disdain the recent propaganda being championed by Labaran Maku and Governor Suswan to the extent that the FGN/ASUU agreement has been met. We feel this berates the expected integrity of individuals occupying such exalted position in the country. if those individuals peddle such cheap lies, shamefully, Nigerians should be cautious of what these individuals say at all times”, the zonal leaders submitted.
