Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Wednesday accused the federal and state governments of non-implementing the UNESCO recommendations of a 26 percent benchmark educational budget for underdeveloped countries like Nigeria.
The body of the university lecturers said successive Nigerian governments have allocated an average of 5 to 8% of their budgets to education over the last 10 years.
The chairman of ASUU, Kwara State University, Malete (KWASU) branch, Dr Abdulganiyu Salahu, stated this Wednesday while addressing newsmen after he led his colleagues on a peaceful rally on the university ‘s campus.
The rally was held to sensitise the public to the plight of ASUU members and their demands from the federal government.
The ASUU chairman said one of the contending issues is
the funding for the revitalisation of public universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013, and the MoA of 2017.
” Despite the UNESCO recommendation of a 26% benchmark, educational budget for underdeveloped countries such as Nigeria, and as advocated by our union, successful Nigerian governments have allocated an average of 5- 8% of their budgets to education over the last 10 years.
“Rather than improving, the federal government has chosen to reduce the resources available for the education sector by diverting funds to programmes that do not directly benefit Nigerian public universities,” he said.
He urged the Kwara state government to do the needful on the local ASUU’s demands, especially the Academic Earn Allowance (AEA) which he said, stands at N1.7bn.
He added that the union is tired of alleged hypocrisy of the federal government while recalling that in 2009, the government reached an agreement with the union on key issues bordering on conditions of service, funding and university autonomy without fulfilling the agreement.
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