ASUU: Ex Varsity Leader Calls For end Of Strike, Blames FG For Delayed Response

 

Professor Femi Olaofe, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti (EKSU) has called for the end of the prolonged strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The ex- lecturer blamed the industrial action by the union on the delay on the side of the Federal Government in fulfilling its agreement to ASUU, maintaining that the union seeks the improvement of the university system of the country.

Olaofe, speaking in Ado-Ekiti, said  “The ASUU stance on the university education is to improve the standard such that the quality of our products (students and research outputs) are acceptable all over the world because the university is a universal organisation.

“The university can attract competent hands from all over the world”.

He lamented the poor payment of lecturers and the state of infrastructure in many public universities in the country, noting the absence of constant power and water supply in the institutions.

“All these do not allow ASUU members to perform their main duties (teaching and research) efficiently and optimally.

“ASUU staff members are poorly paid, the salary of a Processor is less than 1000 dollars, which is less than the salary of a cleaner in developed countries.

“The conditions in our Universities not only encourage brain drain, it does not attract staff from other countries, while Nigerians who trained outside only want to stay back without coming home," he said.

On the establishment of new tertiary institutions, he said, “The existing ones are not well funded, adequately staff, lacking adequate and reliable infrastructure”. 

The ex-Deputy Vice-Chancellor empathised with the students affected by the strike and their parents, saying children of lawmakers in the country send their children to Nigerian private or foreign universities with stolen funds.

“Majority of these students are from poor homes with parents who can not afford to send their children to Nigerian private or foreign universities.

“ASUU is fighting for you such that your children can have improved and standard university education as we have it in the nineteen seventies.

“The policymakers in Nigeria send their children to Nigerian private or foreign universities using our stolen funds," he added.

Listing the reasons for the resistance of IPPIS by the striking lecturers, Olaofe stated the lack of autonomy in terms of financial, appointment and promotion management and the overdependence on Abuja for operational decisions.