ASUU berates FG’s bailout to banks, aviation sector

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed dismay over sudden provision of bail out to banks and Aviation sector by the federal government as against funding education.

The Kano Zonal chairman of the union, Mahmud Lawal, while addressing newsmen, said the actions showed that the federal government is not serious when it comes to funding education.

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“It is very clear that government is not serious when it comes to funding education as it can, without any pressure, give bailout to banks and aviation sector which is owned by private individuals,” he said.

He said it was disturbing to note that the offices of the minister of labour and that of education have woefully failed to mediate in the impasse, saying that “the most unfortunate distractions were the use of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to frustrate all the previous ASUU-FGN agreements so far.

“ASUU believes that the future of university education in the country will depend, to a large degree, on amount of interest shown by the Nigerian public on university affairs and happenings in our campuses,”‎ he added.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had, on Wednesday, said the government cannot meet the requests of ASUU due to present economic situation in the country.

ASUU is demanding N110bn for revatilisation of tertiary institutions amongst other requests.

Ngige, who stated this while briefing journalists immediately after a closed-door meeting with ASUU members in Abuja, reiterated that government had offered only N20bn it can afford.

According to him, Nigeria’s dare economic situation occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic would not allow government to do beyond its financial capacity despite its commitment to revitalisation of universities.

“This government is not against revitalisation but this government says that because of dare economic situation, because of COVID-19, we cannot really pay in the N110 billion which they are demanding for revitalisation,” the minister said.

Ngige explained that the government had offered a total sum of N50bn to the striking lecturers, where N30bn out of the money is meant for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) of all the unions – ASUU, SSANU and NASU.

He said ASUU members insisted that all the N30bn be meant for them alone.