Tashikalmah Hallah and Nasidi A. Yahaya
8 July 2009
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said yesterday that the demand for better condition of service through university autonomy, immediate but sustained funding of the universities and enhance pay package did not reduce them to beggars.
ASUU President, Professor Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie in an interactive session with the House of Representatives committee on Education said their demand was to curb brain drain in the country.
"What we are asking for is collective bargaining aimed at reducing brain drain in the nation's universities," he said but lamented that the government is using their demands to blackmail them.
He said increment of salary is not what ASUU is fighting for, "We are trying to improve the sector, we are trying to bring back the lost glory of universities community, we are trying to create enabling environment for learning, and we are trying to rejuvenate the universities".
Prof. Awuzie said the N177 billion figure being brandished by the Federal Government as ASUU's demand is the figment of their imagination. "What was budgeted for the ASUU in the budget is N40.7 billion; SSANU is given N11.2 billion while the NASU is given N3.5 billion, so Nigerians should know that the total budget was not given to the ASSU as claimed by the minister of education", he added.
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THE ASUU STRIKE IS A GREAT THING REALLY..PEOPLE DEMANDING THIER RIGHTS.IN THE LIGHT OF THE POLITICAL BRAINWASHING IN A COUNTRY THAT CAN AFFORD TO PAY THIER ILLITERATE COUNCILLORS IN THE VARIOUS DORMANT WARDS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY MORE THAN THEY PAY THIER LECTURERS.i SEE NO REASON WHY THE STRIKE SHOULD NOT CONTINUE.BUT,DARE I ASK BOTH PROF.IKECHUKWU AWUCHIE AND DR.CHIKE EKPEORA IF THEY HAVE CHILDREN IN ANY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.AND IF THEY DO,ARE THEY CONTENT WITH THIER CHILDREN AT HOME WITH THEM.AS A NIGERIAN STUDENT,I HAVE NOT WRITTEN MY FIRST SEMESTER EXAMS BY NOW AND I HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR IT SINCE MAY OF THIS YEAR.I GUESS SINCE MY PARENTS CANT AFFORD TO PAY FOR A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOR ME OR EVEN TAKE ME ABROAD,I HAVE TO BEAR THE BRUNT.MY OPINION OF EVERY ADULT IN POWER IN THIS COUNTRY IS THAT:THEY ARE SYMBOLS OF BETRAYAL.SINCE EVERYTHING HAS ITS PRICE,THEY WILL PAY SOMEDAY.
i believe there is still hope for the education sector of this country,no matter what the FG says or do.Indeed the Lecturers are not beggars,there trained @least 60% of those in authority,yet they are back-stabbing them.