We’ll continue to strike until the right thing is done – ASUU
We’ll continue to strike until the right thing is done – ASUU
The Academic Staff Union of Universities stated on Wednesday that it will continue to go on strike until the government meets its demands.
As a result, the union has opposed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s desire to include private universities in the country as beneficiaries of its programs.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, stated the union’s position during a two-day interactive session between TETFund and the unions of beneficiary institutions.
According to Prof. Osodeke, such a move would result in the growth of poor-quality private universities.
While complimenting the TETFund for its performance, he advised the fund to focus more on the monitoring technique of its projects across the country, emphasizing that the level of performance by recipient institutions is not consistent, despite the fact that some of them received the exact amount of money.
He also urged TETFund to impose sanctions on non-performing institutions and advocate for the removal of the “stakeholders fund.”
Prof. Osodeke said, “ASUU will continue to embark on strike until the right thing is done in our tertiary institutions. Stakeholders fund should be abolished”.
Earlier in his welcome speech, TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono stated that the interactive session was scheduled as a proactive engagement against the backdrop of the sub-sector’s current issues.
Echono added that the interaction was also for the aim of continuing the stable growth and development of tertiary education, emphasizing the importance of continually engaging and challenging one another on how to best improve the situation.
“It is our fervent hope that this interactive session will provide an enabling environment for us to understand some of our challenges and difficulties in the delivery of quality education in our institutions and thereby make meaningful contribution to the successful execution of the objective of the Fund.
“As you all know our primary mandate is to rehabilitate, restore and consolidate Tertiary Education in Nigeria, using funding alongside project management.
“The session is also expected to serve as a platform to discuss and mitigate incidences of industrial disputes in the tertiary education sector and look at ways to prevent and avoid their occurrences,” he stated.
He further added that the interactive session will provide an opportunity to strengthen and reinforce cooperation and coordination among the fund, its beneficiary institutions, and unions on issues affecting the growth and development of tertiary education in Nigeria.
“As stakeholders and partners, we intend to share with you all that we have done and continue to do,” he added.
Former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who addressed ‘The Role of Trade Unions in TETFund Intervention Activities,’ praised the fund for its unwavering commitment to improving university education and experience for both lecturers, non-academic workers, and the student population across the country.
Wabba stated that the NLC has greatly benefited from the unions’ ideological clarity and consistency in tertiary institutions.
“The patriotic and historical resistance of the Congress against the debilitating influence and impact of neo-liberal policies of successive government in Nigeria drew a lot of inspiration and verve from the intellectually sound positions advanced by unions in our tertiary institutions,” he noted.
