Soji Ajibola, Ibadan
Stakeholders in the education sector have thrown their weight behind the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities towards the total reforms of the sector, including, improved funding for the revitalization of public varsities and new salaries for the lecturers.
The stakeholders, who made their position known on Friday at the engagement programme organised by the Ibadan zone of ASUU held inside the University of Ibadan Conference Centre, said the strike became imperative in order to secure the future of the Nigerian child.
The meeting was called to brief stakeholders on the reasons ASUU embarked on the current strike and ask for suggestions from the public.
In his opening address, Ibadan Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof Ade Adejumo, who was represented by former National Treasurer of ASUU, Prof Ademola Aremu, lamented that the plan of government leadership was for the children of the masses to continue to serve their own children, who are educated abroad by deliberating under-funding public university education.
Aremu stated that ASUU was fighting for the interest of children of the masses and the future of the country knowing full well that an uneducated child will become terror to the country.
He argued that Federal Government had not been faithful towards fulfilling the agreements it reached with the union, but prefer to allocate more funds for the executives and the legislative arm of government.
The former ASUU national treasurer informed the stakeholders that “ASUU’s strike is focused on funding for the revitalization of public universities as contained in the FGN-ASUU Memorandum of Understanding of 2012 & 2013 and the Memorandum of Action of 2017 and 2019; payment of arrears and mainstreaming of Earned academic allowances; renegotiation of 2009 agreement, constitution of visitation panels to universities, and remittance of withheld third-party deductions from ASUU members.”
While contributing, Student Union Government President, University of Ibadan, Segun Akeju, who supported the ASUU on the strike for the revitalisation of universities, also urged the union to carry students along in their strikes.
He noted that there was no how the strike would not affect the students but appealed to the union to ensure that the strike achieved the reasons for its purpose.
In his remark, Chairman, Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), Comrade Bayo Titilola Sodo, lauded the stakeholders’ engagement of ASUU, saying, “ASCAB ‘is on the same page with ASUU on the need for massive increases of fund for the education sector, the decay in the sector especially in regards to infrastructure and conditions of service of all categories of workers, which is so palpable due to World Bank dictations and the deliberate neglect of education and other critical social services by successive ruling class governments especially since the imposition of structural Adjustment Programme, SAP between 1984 and 1986’.
Chaplain, Chapel of the Resurrection, Very Reverend (Dr) Olufikayo Oyelade and Chief Imam, University of Ibadan Central Mosque, urged the union to continue to engage the public on the need to support their struggle, saying they were more informed of the reasons for the strike than before.
They enjoined the union not to corrupt their way as they continued to fight for repositioning public-funded varsities, just as they urged government to quickly meet ASUU demands for better public education and welfare of her members in order to ensure quick reopening of universities.
Present at the engagement were Chairmen of ASUU in the University of Ibadan, Prof Ayo Akinwole, Prof Moyo Ajao (UNILORIN), Dr Biodun Olaniran (LAUTECH), Dr Femi Abanikanda (UNIOSUN), Dr Adesola Dauda (KWASU), and Dr Dele Ashiru (UNILAG).