ASUU condemns Nigerian leaders, says politicians feed fat on subsidy, leave education to suffer

In the aftermath of the extension of the ongoing strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) the body has criticised the country’s leadership for neglecting the education sector over alleged lack of funds.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by the ASUU National Chairman, Emmanuel Osodeke, during a live interview on Channels TV ‘Sunrise Daily’ monitored by Ripples Nigeria.

According to Osodeke, the leadership is responsible for the appalling state of the economy due to its dishonesty over the fuel subsidy regime which has affected other facets of the economy, especially education.

“The ASUU doesn’t believe there is subsidy and we have analysed these shenanigans; politicians have a way of caving political space for themselves. There are other sources through which the Federal Government makes money. What happens to unaccounted security votes? Funds can be channelled via other means.

“The FG must fix the refineries and we won’t talk about subsidies; they pledged on this but refused to. The politicians are feeding fat on this subsidy and why is Nigeria, an oil-producing nation, continuing to import? The subsidy is a cesspool of corruption.

“You can see how many times the price of petrol has been reviewed since the advent of this administration. The gradual increment is tantamount to the removal of subsidy and what is the benchmark for the benefit of the populace,” the ASUU Chairman railed.

He further noted that part of the reason for the current strike action is for the FG to sustain the momentum and positive strides being recorded by Nigerian universities recently.

Osodeke also expressed his staunch support for the continued subsidizing of education in Nigeria for the benefit of the poor citizens.

“We have made some impact but we have Nigerian universities amongst the top 1000 in the world. What ASUU wants is to sustain that momentum in order to also attract foreign students.

Read also: ‘ASUU demands have been met,’ Nigerian govt reacts to varsity lecturers’ extension of strike

“The fees of Nigerian students are subsidized with the exception of accommodation and regarding its sustenance, we cannot price education beyond the reach of the poor in order not to disrupt the social equilibrium. We need that window for the poor in order for them to access tertiary education.

“The ASUU sees qualitative education as a public good and the larger the number of people who are educated, the better for the society. Critics who view it as a consumer good and want it privatized are not considering the various factors plaguing the country,” he said.

In January 2022, the FG back-pedaled on its initial plan to remove subsidies on petrol to continue paying about N4.6 trillion for this purpose.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now