ASUU Strike: Display of Hypocrisy by the Presidency
By M O Otun Let me first of all educate the general public on the strike action embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that the primary objective of the strike is to condition the government to provide adequate funding for the revitalization and maintenance of universities’ facilities. If ASUU doesn’t do […]
By M O Otun
Let me first of all educate the general public on the strike action embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that the primary objective of the strike is to condition the government to provide adequate funding for the revitalization and maintenance of universities’ facilities.
If ASUU doesn’t do this, who else is capable of doing? So, bulk of the demand of ASUU is basically to make public institutions better and viable while only 10% of university teachers demand hinge on their welfarism and better pay. The last time academic staff salary was reviewed was in 2009, but let’s all think about it, is the salary in tandem with the economic reality of today?
In 2014, APC pegged her Presidential nomination form at N27 million. President Buhari questioned the amount before he finally told us that he told his account manager to provide the money on the basis of loan. In 2018, APC presidential nomination form jumped to N45 million owing to the economic reality of that time. Now, APC pegged their Presidential nomination and expression of interest forms at N100 million, which is 122% increment from what it was in 2018. Now, with this analysis, APC believes that for them to have an effective campaign and efficient engagement of voters, they have to spend reasonable money in accordance with the economic reality.
Now, lecturers believe that the money paying to them since 2009 can not even sustain them for a week not to talk of paying school fees of their children/wards, pay for domestic fees, before publishing a paper and going for conferences both local and international. How can they cope with that meagre amount of money?
If the APC and presidency are not hypocrites, why would they stand against the fight for increment, and they keep on increasing all that belong to government based on economic reality as a yardstick. Electricity tariff has increased by double since 2014, petrol is now sold between N165 and N200 with the plan to double it and even at that, it is not readily available. Is the APC government trying to turn all educators to slave/beggars or what?
Lastly, I will urge the government to shun their ego and reasonably reason with ASUU by meeting the union’s demand for the development of our dear nation.
Otun sent this piece from Nasarawa.