Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have accused the federal and state governments of non-implementing the UNESCO recommendations of a 26 percent benchmark educational budget for underdeveloped countries like Nigeria.
The body of the university lecturers said that successive Nigerian governments have allocated an average of 5 to 8% of their budgets to education over the last 10 years.
The chairman of ASUU, Kwara State University, Malete (KWASU) branch, Dr Abdulganiyu Salahu disclosed this yesterday while addressing newsmen after he led his colleagues on a peaceful rally on the university’s campus.
The rally was held to sensitise the public to the plight of ASUU members and their demands from the federal government.
The ASUU chairman said that one of the contending issues is the funding for the revitalisation of public universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013, and the MoA of 2017.
“Despite the UNESCO recommendation of a 26 percent benchmark educational budget for underdeveloped countries such as Nigeria, and as advocated by our union, successful Nigerian governments have allocated an average of 5- 8% of their budgets to education over the last 10 years.
“Rather than improving, the federal government has chosen to reduce the resources available for the education sector by diverting funds to programmes that do not directly benefit Nigerian public universities,” he said.
Salahu urged the Kwara State government to do the needful on the local ASUU’s demands, especially the academic earn allowance (AAE), which he said, stands at N1.7 billion.
He said that the union is tired of alleged hypocrisy of the federal government while recalling that in 2009, the government reached an agreement with the union on key issues bordering on conditions of service, funding and university autonomy without fulfilling the agreement.
Salahu who clarified that university teachers are not strike mongers, added that, “Members of ASUU are parents who have students in various Nigerian universities. Why would we want a case whereby our children are sent home? But we have to go on strike because we’ve reached out to government on several occasions and there was no response. We’ve gone through the normal doors and backdoors, but nothing has happened. And the last resort, as allowed by the law establishing the university is to go on strike. Our members are being owed and some are leaving the country in droves for South Africa and England, for example.
“I want to say with all authorities that struggles and strike by the members of the union brought about some of the infrastructures we have today, especially, in this university. So, if we’ve not been struggling, Nigerian universities would have been down. We’re not strike mongers and we don’t always love to go on strike. We’re hardworking citizens. That’s why we’re sensitizing members of the general public, students, market women, stakeholders, etc about the situation. We don’t want to go on strike but we can’t be teaching in empty stomach. Our senior colleagues (professors) are earning just $300. What can we do with that?”
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