The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has described the N1.1 trillion outstanding revitalization fund for the nation’s universities as no longer applicable, going by the current economic realities.
Chairman Ebonyi State University chapter of the union, Dr. Ikechukwu Igwenyi made this statement, Tuesday, while addressing newsmen in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.
Igwenyi, who noted that the revitalisation fund did not match with the pact the union entered into with the authorities in 2009, urged the union’s national leadership to go back to the drawing board and review the 2009 agreement it entered with the federal government.
The union leader said it was expedient for leaders to pay critical attention to the merits of ASUU’s position on tertiary education as he lamented that the government was paying lip-service to the demands of the union.
He said, “ASUU, as a thinking union of intellectuals, is not realistic in this current struggle and there is need for the union to call for the review of the negotiated 2009 FG/ASUU agreement to ascertain possible performance rate and the expected outcomes.
“It is considered that the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement is not only out of date and obsolete, but unrealistic today, if truth must be told, because of the time value of money over 13 years of this negotiation.
“It is a fact that a people that take no interest in what seems small, will definitely take false interest in what is big. The fact is also that Nigerian leaders set wrong priorities and are not paying due attention to the demands of ASUU in this imbroglio but rather join the unpatriotic gladiators that have no interest in nation building through quality education of Nigerians because their children are not attending schools here in Nigeria.
“It is a clear testimony of irresponsibility with the recent vituperations from some highly placed individuals in government and the idea of taking ASUU to court.
“Rather than look critically into the merits in ASUU position on tertiary education, leaders tell Nigerians that university education is not for everyone; ASUU fixes salary of members; there is no money to meet ASUU’s demands; the government will take ASUU to National Industrial Court; students should take ASUU to court.”
It added, “ASUU, therefore, is not realistic, because rather than calling for a review of the renegotiated agreement in the context of the current economic realities of dollar to naira ratio, they are asking for the release of funds negotiated in 2009, when a dollar was less than N150 as compared to present day reality rating of dollar to naira ratio of about N700.
“This implies that ASUU should be asking for about N5trn for the revitalisation of public universities in this current and prevailing economic dispensation.
“The N1.1trn outstanding revitalisation fund cannot achieve the same objectives as prices of items like cement, rods, wood for furniture, reagents, and chemicals, equipment and stationeries, books and subscriptions, utility vehicles, fuel for generators and other consumables are no longer in tandem with the economic equivalents of same items 13 years ago.”