Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will meet today in a last ditch efforts to resolve the lingering crisis in the University System.
As a prelude to the meeting scheduled for 10.00a.m today, the Federal Government was locked in a meeting with the Vice Chancellors of the federal universities for about two hours on Monday. Supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Wike, who chaired the meeting held at the auditorium of the National Universities Commission (NUC), had said the meeting was a normal interaction with the vice chancellors and before the commencement of the meeting, excused journalists, personal assistants, his aides and all others, except the vice chancellors, ostensibly to prevent leakage of their deliberations.
Wike, after the closed door meeting declined comment to newsmen, but told journalists that the government would be meeting with the leadership of ASUU today.
However, it was gathered that the meeting was to see how the universities that have been shut for about four months now could be reopened to students as well as fine-tune discussion on the position of the government against the meeting with ASUU today.
It was gathered, on Monday, that the meeting today would afford the ASUU to report to the government about the position of the union on the offers by the Federal Government so far.
The fresh accord struck by the Vice-President Namadi Sambo with the union, government had agreed to increase the N30 billion already released for the payment of academic earned allowance to N40 billion.
Accordingly, vice chancellors were urged to expedite the disbursement within the shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by the Committee of Vice Chancellors to them.
On the implementation of the Needs Assessment to Nigerian Universities report, it was stated that the government was cognisant and mindful of the ability of universities to effectively and efficiently utilise the N100 billion fund immediately, hence that figure.
Also, on project prioritisation, universities would now be allowed to determine their priorities and not be “rail-roaded” into implementing a pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment. Decisions are not to be centralised.
Although, the President of ASUU, Dr Nasir Isa Fagge, could not confirm the willingness of ASUU to attend today’s meeting, it was gathered that zonal meetings of ASUU in their various universities were held last week to collate opinion of the members of the government offers.
God help US
Asus has not called of strike because the federal government under the watch of JEG is not ready to give the ghana must go as usual just like the executives of ASUU were having it in OBJ’S REGIME. So who thinks that ASUU has the morale grounds to accuse FG for being responsible for the decay in the universities? assuming the infrastructures are put in place over night, what happens to the crime the lecturers commit in the universities that has brought it to ridicules, ranging from collecting bribe to admitting non qualified students into the universities, employment of incompetent lecturers because they have money and they know people while our competent hands travel abroad to give what they have to other people? what do say about the sexual harassment to the female students who are serious with their studies just because the unqualified hands they admitted into the universities are willing to give sex for marks, what about selling of handouts and making it a criterion to passing someone in exams, what about the truancy on the part of lecturers just because they are covering 3-5 universities at the same time, what about patronage they give cult activities in the universities? do you think there could be any other cause of decay in the universities that has made our universities to produce the below standards of graduates they produce other than these? let us tell ourselves the truth and stop applying sentiments where it is not called for. If ASUU actually wants to fight corruption, she should first and foremost, purge herself of the impunity that has become part of their system. If this is a real fight, students should be made to come and say their part and not the so called NANS that is made up of people who are not faced with the challenges the real students face. Let the first thing be done first. FG sure must be responsible and give better attention to education in general because, poor primary and secondary education caused the alarming unqualified university admission candidates who pay their ways in where they can not pass jamb and post ume. We know fg has been evil and not from JEG’S administration rather years before he came on seat. We youths and students should be observant and intelligent in dealing with issues like this. ASUU has simply used students as a bargaining factor to their selfish desires. This is the cheapest political comment. What is obasanjo still looking for in aso rock at 85 years? what will obasanjo going to say that he forgot to say and do during his regime to fix educational problems permanently? he should go and sit down and stop sponsoring Asuu strick and claiming innocent. We students will soon get personal with the lecturers very soon if they think they can toil with our future while their children are abroad because they want the same money as politicians
finish with FG and come back to face the wrath of student @ASUU…. you’ll be taken out one after the other….. wonder y u came into academic line and stil envying politicians… if dont lyk lecturing,, quit the job and contest for a political post if y’all want to live large lyk senators….. NONSENSE!!!
Is Nigeria turning to sodom and Gommora in the bible? Lord have mercy and heal our land!