The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticised President Goodluck Jonathan for criticising the strike by the university teachers. Read more
ASUU, in a statement by the Chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye entitled “Nigeria at 53: No message of hope for Nigerians Yet”, said the Presidential Media Chat was empty.
Dr. Ajiboye said the president ‘is politicising the ASUU strike’ , saying it was unfortunate for the president to treat the sector with such ‘hatred and disfavour’.
He said: “It was clear that Mr. President was just rehearsing the positions of his aides. He said ASUU strike has been politicised. The question is by who? It is evident that rather than ASUU, the president and his team are the ones politicising education and playing with the future of the teeming youths of this country. ASUU members successfully midwifed the 2011 general elections and they were not accused of playing politics then! It is only now some people are waking up to label members of ASUU of playing politics with strike.
“ASUU members are not politicians. When ASUU members risked their lives to conduct free and fair elections in 2011, they were not referred to as politicians. Now that they are fighting for universities, they have become politicians. We reject that position; we believe that that position is not correct and it does not represent our motivation.
“ASUU members are patriotic Nigerians who believe in the emancipation and development of education in this country. We cannot play politics with Nigeria’s future. The 2009 agreement is sacrosanct. It is aimed at re-fertilising and rejuvenating the Nigerian University System (NUS).”
Ajiboye also said it was wrong for President Jonathan to say state universities should not be part of the agreement.
“The President hasn’t got a good grasp of reality. It is JAMB that regulates admissions into both federal and state universities – including private universities. It is the NUC (National Universities Commission) that oversees accreditation in all universities. It is the President that does not realise that the Nigerian Universities System is one system. For him to be talking about federal or state universities is an anomaly and I believe he will go back and study the issue from a different dimension.”
The chairman of ASUU at the Lagos State University (LASU), Dr Fikayo Idris, said it was wrong of the Federal Government to complain about state universities’ involvement in the strike.
He said: “It will be mischievous of any official, especially those who have knowledge about the negotiations that took place ahead of the MOU ASUU signed with Federal Government last year.
“The NEEDS Assessment Report ,which government itself conducted, highlighted the rots in the universities system at both the state and federal levels. That was why both parties agreed Federal Government’s intervention should be for both federal and state universities.”
The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) yesterday began an indefinite strike until the Federal Government accedes to the 2009 agreement signed with it.
The Chairman of the union in UI, Wale Akinremi said: “We have been short-changed by the government on the area of subventions and we cannot take it again.”
He spoke yesterday at a congress held by the chapter at the Arts Theatre, UI, Ibadan.
The union leader said: “Non-teaching members of staff are wrongly placed in the education system, and these issues must be holistically addressed.”
by: Kofoworola Belo-Osagie, Osheye Okwuofu, Ibadan, Adegunle Olugbamila and Tayo Johnson, Ibadan
CULLED FROM THE NATION NEWSPAPER
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