As stakeholders and students are becoming agitated over the lingering face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), concerns are growing that the blackmail adopted by the FG may force ASUU to back down.
Amidst growing blackmail, name calling by the government and the union’s resolve to press further its demands, stakeholders in the education sector have expressed worries that the strike had lingered longer than necessary as agreements are not reached by both parties to the strike after several meetings.
Mrs. Elizabeth Adedeji, mother of female undergraduate medical student in one of the South-West universities appealed to the Federal Government and its negotiation team to heed to the demands of the unions since 2009.
“What type of leaders do we have in the country? Since 2009 and before then the government had been paying lip service to tertiary education in the country.
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“Can any right thinking Nigerian point to a national challenge justifiably addressed by successive governments in the country? Please, allow our children to return to school after COVID-19 and #EndSARS holidays,” she pleaded.
A public commentator, who would not want his name in print, condemned the hard posture of the Federal Government to the poor learning conditions in many public universities, especially state institutions.
He lamented: “I have had opportunities to attend convocations and inaugural lectures in universities and polytechnics, many are in deplorable conditions and need immediate intervention.”
According to him, the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, was not better than a college before the intervention of the TETFund in the 90s, saying the same applied to many other institutions across the country.
He warned the Federal Government never to toy with the idea of introducing new increased tuition in public universities or think of privatisation, saying such would be dangerous at this period.
“The polytechnic sector is not better either as students received lectures hanging on windows,” he added.
Speaking on the position of the union, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, had insisted at various times that schools would remain shut until issues of members’ salaries and revitalisation were settled.
According to Ogunyemi, nothing had changed significantly from engagements with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Unemployment and a host of others.