Buhari government worst in education funding – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that the
stifling of education funding under the Muhammadu Buhari government is
preparing the country for a greater future doom.

It stated that the nonchalant attitude of the Buhari-led government to
education appears to be the worst in the history of Nigeria with about
7 percent allocation to Education.

Chairman, University of Ibadan branch of ASUU, Dr. Deji Omole, who
stated this on Monday in an interview with journalists, noted that the
failure to vote enough money to public varsity education is already
causing gradual crisis of confrontation between University
administration and students in some parts of the country.

Omole said, "It will be difficult to have a citizen that will love the
country in the future if the current trend of abandoning the poor
while taking care of the rich continues. While each senators is paid
N13.5million as running cost per month the same Senate appropriated a
paltry sum of N66million for capital projects for University of Ibadan
with students population of about 30,000.

"This can only happen where the ruling class lacks vision like
Nigeria. This same government refuses to drop a kobo for the
revitalization of public universities. Now many children of the masses
are denied access because universities cannot admit beyond what the
dilapidated infrastructure can take. Yet their parents cannot afford
private university. the federal government is owing about N800billion
revitalization funds to public varsities as contained in the
agreements with ASUU."

The ASUU, who vowed that the union will oppose any plan to force
children of the masses out of school by imposing on them dues that are
the duties of federal government, asserted that the ruling APC has
performed poorly in Education.

According to him, the United States of America that members of the
elite takes their children to funds her public varsities because the
USA is interested in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor,
and knows the negative implication of having a growing pool of
illiterates as we have in Nigeria.

Omole maintained that the Buhari government has paid lip service to
public education but prefers to pacify militants and terrorists.

The ASUU chairman stated that while the masses are groaning in
hardship, the political class have increased their number and stored
enough money taken from the collective patrimony in preparation for
the 2019 general elections.