FG tackles ASUU, says union misleading the public over alleged planned N350,000 tuition fee

The Chairman of the Federal Government negotiation team with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Dr. Wale Babalakin, has described as incorrect statements by ASUU that the Federal Government is planning to hike tuition fees in public universities to between N350,000 and N500.000.

Babalakin, who appealed to the striking lecturers to return to the negotiating table, stated this in Lagos at the weekend, insisting that the figures are not only incorrect and contradictory, but also a figment of the imagination of ASUU officials peddling them around the country.

He said: “We do not know from where ASUU got the figures that it has been peddling around the country. Aside from the fact that our committee has no power to impose fees on students, we are at a loss regarding the source of the said figures.”

Read also: NSITF pays N2.5b compensation in 7 years

Claiming that the committee regarded dialogue with ASUU as the most effective way of resolving contentious issues bordering on the industrial dispute, Babalakin said negotiation team had little choice but to respond to allegations and the inaccurate narratives that had been consistently provided by ASUU’s President and some zonal heads in a bid to misinform and mislead members of the public on the true situation regarding university education in Nigeria.

Accusing ASUU officials of inundating the public with suggestions that he, as chairman of the Federal Government Renegotiating Committee, was pursuing a personal agenda, Babalakin said: “All I have expressed are the collective views of the Federal Government Negotiating Team. “Going by the figures provided by ASUU, Nigeria requires over N2 trillion per annum to fund university education.

“This figure exceeds the total amount available for all capital projects in Nigeria, including health, infrastructure, security and others.

“No doubt, if the money were available for university education as ASUU has insisted it is, the government will have no difficulty in spending it on university education.

“However, as it is, government cannot ignore all other areas of expendi-ture that require funding.”

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