ASUU Asks Federal Gov’t To Suspend Action On 9 New Varsities

The Yola Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has demanded the federal government to immediately pause action on the recently approved nine universities until the existing ones received adequate funding, infrastructure and staffing.

ASUU threatened the federal government will face industrial action if it failed to comply with the demand.

The Yola Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Dani Mamman made the demand at a press conference held at the Modibbo Adama University Yola, Adamawa State, on Monday.

Maman said the approval of the new universities was a continuation of the systematic destruction of of Nigeria’s higher education system.

He lamented that the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement emphasised revitalising existing universities through sustainable funding but successive administration chose expansion without capacity, thereby leaving students to learn in collapsed classrooms and obsolete laboratories.

The Zonal Coordinator, represented by Dr Mbave Joshua, the Chairman of Taraba State University chapter, directed members to reject the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) introduced by the federal government, describing it as debt trap loan on its members.

“Our members are already burdened by multiple loans due to poor wages and unpaid entitlements.

“Rather than address the roots cause of financial destress, government is offering a cosmetic loan scheme that deepens economic slavery,” he alleged.

The zone which comprises Adamawa State University (ADSU), Mubi, Federal University Gashua (FUGA), Modibbo Adama University, (MAU) Yola, Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo, University of Maiduguri, (UNIMAID), and Yobe State University (YSU), Damaturu further urged the federal government to implement its earlier agreements or face industrial actions.