The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Government of a plan to kill education in Nigeria by making it inaccessible to the poor. According to the union, this move of the government has led to an increase in cybercrimes, kidnapping, rituals and banditry among the average Nigerian youth.
National Chairman of the union, Professor Biodun Oyeyemi said this during the weekend at a Town and Gown meeting with parents, students’ union leaders and alumni of Nigerian universities at the Africa Hall, University of Ilorin.
He stressed that while the rich celebrate the graduation of their children from institutions of learning abroad, the poor were made to suffer the brunt of the Federal Government’s poor attitude to education.
Professor Oyeyemi who maintained that the current strike action embarked by the union was necessitated by the deliberate refusal of the Federal Government to fund university education and leaving the nation’s universities facilities to decay, remarked that ASUU had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government on the need to improve facilities in the campuses, students welfare, academics promotion and welfare but were neglected.
ASUU, therefore, said it would unfold its next agenda if the Federal Government refuse to negotiate on its demands as scheduled.
According to him, Nigeria can fund free education if the government shows the right attitude to education, block every financial leakage and curb corruption. Past leaders of ASUU, Professor Sule Abdullahi Kano and Professor Nasir Issa Fagge in their separate remarks urged parents, students and the public to support the union’s fight to clean the rot in Nigeria’s education system.
