FG Owing ASUU in excess of N120 Billion

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) through its National President Comrade Biodun Ogunyemi has  accused the Federal Government of failing to disburse the outstanding balance of over N120 Billion being part of the FGN-ASUU agreement implementation in 2009.

Ogunyemi while speaking to newsmen in Abuja said, “the arrears included “N65,833,047,372.24 (2009-2013), in addition to N62,417,645,224.23 (2014-2016) amounting to N128,250,692,596.47 as contained in the report of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement implementation Committee”.

Ogunyemi said the action by government was typical of its current lukewarm attitude towards the spirit and letters of the FGN/ASUU agreement of 2009, vowing that the union as an important stakeholder in the university system will continue to draw the attention of all concerned to possible threat to peaceful development and growth of the Nigerian Education System.

He said: ”We consider it appalling that no consultation with stakeholders especially with ASUU and the Vice Chancellors was held before such far reaching national policy like the cancellation of Post Ume was pronounced”.

 “In a fundamental way, the policy undermines the autonomy of universities and powers of universities’ senate as the highest policy making body on academic matters, particularly admission of students and award of university degrees.”

 The ASUU boss questioned the veracity of the claim by the Education Minister Malam Adamu Adamu that ‘’the nation has confidence in what JAMB is doing” and that as a result of this, tertiary institutions do not need to conduct further tests towards admitting students UTME candidates, saying even a former Minister of education, Mrs Chinwe Obaji, in 2005 questioned the credibility of most JAMB high fliers, who even though they scored as high as 280 performed abysmally low in the post UME exercise.