Strike: FG Claims That Pact With ASUU Not Implementable Is Fraudulent, Says Odekunle

Femi-Odekunle[1]A Professor of Criminology and director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Abuja, Femi Odekunle, says the current ASUU strike is not about salary or benefits but about ensuring an effective university system.

Odekunle, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said that the claim by the Federal Government that some of the agreements reached between the union and government were not implementable was untrue.

“I do not believe that any agreements reached are not implementable, otherwise they would not even have been reached in the first place.

“And these issues that ASUU is fighting for have to do with infrastructure, funding and conducive environment for learning and all capture such nuts and bolts that drive the system.”

“So the claim by anyone to say that certain aspects of the agreement are not implementable is fraudulent.

“If the Federal Government can put funds into the National Assembly in terms of salary and allowances, why can’t it do the same for education that produces the manpower for the development of the nation.’’

Odekunle accused the Federal Government of employing tactics that were creating division between ASUU and management of universities by its sudden increase of vice-chancellors’ salaries and allowances.

The don, who noted that some lecturers were also culpable in contributing to the sector’s decay, noted, however, that majority of the the lecturers were serious and committed.

He said that government should address issues, including the misuse of resources, corruption of the political and government class, high cost of governance and other issues that had continued to have adverse effects on the country’s development.

Odekunle advised the government to address the ASUU strike from its root cause and not to “play politics and games with our children’s future’’. (NAN)

7 COMMENTS

  1. The stand of govt is not only fraudulent but also criminal, when it is in their interest; they will remind us that govt is a continium but imagine how they are treating the students and their lecturers like rags because they know nothing will happen.

    • Chai oga,u sure say u wan graduate with this yr english…this is what ASUU is fighting for o,no infrastructure,bad learning environment…i sat on the floor in a lecture hall in my year to just to be able to hear what the lecturer is saying,twisting my neck 360 cause i was backing the lecturer and facing the chicken cage we call class…how can we learn under this type of environment

  2. It is so sad that the govt cannot honour the agreement reached with ASUU since 2009. What a hypocritical govt. The lecturers too should be honest kn their job. Some of them are wome. wrappers. Kai some are too corrupt.

  3. Abubakar wt ur kind of English u dnt need 2 graduate. Dats d kind of scenario ASUU is fighting 2 correct. U need 2 b sound in English 2 b able 2 communicate intelligently as a university graduate, take it easy cos u may not sale as a graduate outside ur home, unless on political ground.

  4. The federal government in one way or the other have so much toiled in the educational affairs of the youth of this great nation.. I see why the keep sending their children to school abroad, or rather send them to private universities. I was born to see nigeria operating under Oligarchy and not democracy… For those who are in govt that keeps bringing pains to the poor may ur Generation suffer for it…