FG Threatens To Break Off Negotiations With ‘Opposition Infiltrated, Unpatriotic’ ASUU

image credit: Vanguard
image credit: Vanguard

The federal government may be forced to break off negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following the thwarting of its recent effort by the lecturers who rejected the N130 billion disbursed into the university system by the FG, sources have said.

After several meetings ended in deadlock, members of the committees set up by the federal government to negotiate with ASUU, rising from a meeting yesterday in Abuja, expressed their frustration that they had not been able to make any meaningful progress despite all the offers made to the lecturers. They therefore resolved to halt further negotiations.

A source also said the decision by the federal government’s negotiating team to stop negotiating with ASUU may not be unconnected with security reports that the union had been infiltrated by opposition parties which have egged on the lecturers to remain inflexible to the government’s offers.

The source added that the federal government has found the uncompromising stance of ASUU extremely frustrating.

“We are trying to meet their demands within reason, but ASUU has remained stubborn insisting on all or nothing,” he said.

He accused ASUU of being unpatriotic and not acting in the best interest of the students and the country at large.

“ASUU has not been patriotic despite the willingness by government to meet some of their demands. Instead, they have remained unyielding.

“The federal government is also alarmed over security reports reaching it that ASUU has been infiltrated by opposition parties that have encouraged the lecturers to keep the universities closed to make political capital,” he disclosed.

He said the situation had compelled the government to consider a number of options to reform the university system, including a report which was presented to the committees yesterday.

The report, he said, focused on the demographics of the university student population in the country and how much the federal government spends on each student in a four-year degree programme.

“The report showed that the total student population in federal universities in the country is 1.8 million to 2 million. By making university education free, it costs the federal government, on average, N6 million per student in a four-year degree programme.

“Compare this to most private universities where it costs parents an average of N4 million in the same period and the quality of education and graduates churned out are much better.

“Meanwhile, the report also showed that there are some 80 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 25 who want to get a university education but cannot get admission into schools and are frustrated.

“This means that the federal university system is running an inefficient structure which has to be reformed,” the source explained.

He pointed out that one of the options available to the federal government is the introduction of financial aid, similar to what obtains in the United States of America, to cater to students’ needs.

“This financial aid does not mean that students will now be made to pay school fees. That is not the intention of the assistance to be provided through financial aid. It will be a throwback to the bursary system and will be provided to students to help take care of their basic needs such as feeding, accommodation and books.

“It is similar to what obtains in the US through which money in the form of soft loans are disbursed directly to students which will be repaid when they get jobs,” he said.

He said the introduction of financial aid was informed by the report, which traced the high rate of delinquency, cultism, s*xual molestation and general indiscipline in the universities to lack of access to financial resources by students to meet their needs.

The source pointed out that this is what the federal government expected of ASUU by keying into some of these problems, not just their demands.

“The agitation by ASUU needs to key into the rot in the system; the lecturers ought to be concerned about falling academic standards and output, not just mere salaries,” he said.

16 COMMENTS

  1. As far as am concerned, this is more bullshit from d govt and goes further to show their insincerity, lack of concern and total disrespect for the citizenry. This the same govt that signed the agreements in d 1st place for Gods sake….

  2. Its seems these Nigerian leaders are purely Anti christ of our time,they are fraudsters,criminals.I pray that God should destroy all the enemies of Nigerian students.God almighty pls destroy their Ambition for 2015 and give us a patriotic leader by 2015.These presently leaders don’t believe in you Lord almighty.All our criminals leaders should Run Mad before the End of this year 2014.Ameen INAOLAJI AKINLOYE from Ibadan.08038604085.

  3. Witout any iota of doubt dis govt is focusless, directionless, purposeless, infact is lyk a ship dat is ready 2 sink instead of implementin d agrement u consciously, deliberately and witout any coercion signed, nw u want 2 embak on yet anoda white elephant project of givin financial aid 2 Nigerian students, this ridiculous. I dnt mind if my 4 year programe wud metamorphos 2 a 10 year programe, let get this once and for all. Great malabites n malabreses i miss u al. Long live d malabo republik.

  4. Fg,dis is insanity.aow could u say asuu should tackle crime rate in schl..while u were stealing our money sharing day to day…dont you dat is bcos of financial problem thats y u see some students involving themselves into dis crimes.implement Asuu demands first n leave d rest to d mgt of each universities 2 tackles any obstacles in their schls….implementatn is wat we are demanding 4..u knw how 2 borrow $1.6bn 4 electricity 4rm foreign banks….ALUTA CONTINUA

  5. Our leaders are useless in dis country, dis selfish leaders are taking us for granted in dis country. youths wat are we waiting for, dis is d time for us to fight for our right b4 it’s too late. enough is enough in dis country.

  6. I wonder the caliber of those who have responded to this headline so far,asuu’s pleas only make sense in the light of increased salaries and if the gov. is acceding by giving some of the money and promising to offer the remaining under their agreement,why are they not returning to work,why this lackadesicality,they have actually been infiltrated by the opposition party, too bad for a UNION.

  7. I wonder why d fg. Would politicize such a major issue like dis at a time when the education system is in shambles and calls for serious and sincere attention. @ anthony i dnt tink u evn understand the content of the agreement otherwise u wouldn’t hav made such a comment. Wat abt the general upgrade of labs and other infrastructures that enhance learning? Wat abt training and retraining of staffs to bring them to a level where they would b able to give students world class standard dat is required for devlopment? Hw many schools hav facilities for meaninful research? All these are part of the agreement. The fg. Should b alive alive to their responsibilities and stop playin wit future of this nation

  8. We nign. Students this is right tme we should come to understand what this currupted govt want university students to be. Look at how they are trying to politicize the issue of strike, by saying that Asuu has been encourage by the opposing party just bcos they dont want impliment the agreement.

  9. fg stop giving us money in parts…..make sacrifices. fulfil ur promise. the foreign schools u send ur children to do they fulfil their promise in parts? you will not give us quality education and after oil companies will be looking for first class student. first class from where? witchcraft? come and see d kinds of books in d so called biggest library in west africa(unn library). it is even beta u dont enter d library cos some are older than ur daddy sef. pity us na. God dey see una ooo. u pple are killing this nation