BREAKING NEWS, Education
The Academic Staff Union of Universities is worried over Nigeria’s poor budgetary allocation to education
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Apr 17, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT |
For the second time in one week, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has criticised the federal government over its handling of the educational system in the country. ASUU has also expressed its disappointment over the federal government’s budgetary allocation to the education sector, calling on the National Assembly to address the issue of low funding of education in Nigeria.
Biodun Ogunyemi, president, ASUU, who made the call on Wednesday, April 5, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Kano, that the union was not happy with the allocations to the sector in the last three years, urging the National Assembly to change the narrative. “In this year’s budget, 6.1 percent was allocated, last year it was eight per cent and we rejected it and the year before was 11 percent. So, the allocation to the education sector has been on the decline and what we are saying is that we will no longer take it. We went to the National Assembly during the budget defence and argued our case,” he said.
Ogunyemi expressed hopes that the lawmakers would do something urgently to address the issue to enable Nigerian universities have the necessary facilities for uninterrupted academic activities and be able to compete with other universities across the world. “We hope the National Assembly will address the issue of funding and address other problems bedeviling the universities in the country. We have always been engaging government on what they need to do to make our universities globally competitive to attract and retain the best academics.”
According to him, the union is also working to promote policies that would address the welfare of its members as well as improve the quality of lives of Nigerians.
Ogunyemi also commented on salary shortfalls in some universities, saying that the union would no longer tolerate such. “We have written to the government. We met at Yola, last week, and we put it on the table that as from the end of March, we will no longer accept any reduction in what is due to our members as their entitlements.”
He added that ASUU would continue to inform Nigerians to identify people with the capacity to provide the best leadership in the country.
This notwithstanding, ASUU may equally embark on a strike again in July over the non-payment of N128 billion arrears of allowances. Ogunyemi at a news conference held at the University of Abuja, on Wednesday, March 29, said the federal government owes academic staff in federal universities unpaid allowances of nearly N128 billion. He said ASUU insisted on a framework for paying any part of the ‘Earned Academic Allowances’ arrears.
According to him, the union has decided that the particular issue of the EAA cannot be meaningfully addressed unless it is within an agreed framework. “Hence the National Executive Council, NEC, of the ASUU resolved that all outstanding arrears of EAA should be paid not later than July 2017.”
Ogunyemi also frowned at the non-release of the Operational Licensing of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company, NUPEMCO. He said the company had met the minimum requirements for registration as a Pension Fund Administrator, PFA.
The failure of PENCOM to release the operational license of NUPEMCO as a PFA had created the feeling of insecurity and loss of confidence among retirees in the education system. “The PFA cartel appears determined to abort the process of NUPEMCO licensing which started more than four years ago. This is against the right to choose,” Ogunyemi said.
The president noted that the 2013 memorandum of understanding signed with the federal government on funding for the revitalisation of public universities had not been released as agreed. “The MoU stipulates that N200 billion would be released in 2013 for massive injection of funds to reposition Nigerian public universities for global competition. Thereafter, N220 billion is to be released for subsequent five years, adding up to N1.3 trillion by 2018. Not a single kobo has been released up till date,” he said, adding that the union’s decision has been communicated to the government.
— Apr 17, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT
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