Declare Five-year State Of Emergency On Education Now — ASSU
The Yola zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has called on the Federal government to without further delay and hesitation declare a five-year state of emergency on education.
ASUU Yola zone which comprises of five universities, Adamawa state University, Adsu, MUBI; Modibbo Adamawa University of Technology, Mauthec , Yola, Taraba State University, Tsu, Jalingo, University of Maiduguri, Unimaid, and Yobe State university, Ysu Damaturu observed that the call if not heeded to urgently will render university education useless and valueless in the nearest future.
Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Yola Zone, Professor Augustine Ndaghu told newsmen in Yola Tuesday that the call is hinged against the backdrop of the proliferation of universities by both the Federal, states and the private that are not meeting the standard of university education.
” For instance in Nigeria today, every Governor that assumes office will want to establish a university, even where one or two other universities are in existence”
“The Federal government has continued to float universities in such states and also approve private ones in such states”
“This mad rush for the establishment of state and private universities coupled with poor funding has rendered the system a thrash where standards are mortgaged”, the Professor regretted.
Professor Augustine recalled that the grouse of the union that led to the ongoing two weeks warning strike include, the renegotiation of the2009 FGN / ASUU agreement, funding for revitalization of public universities, a proliferation of universities by the state governments, payment of outstanding Earned Academic Allowances and mainstreaming of same into ASUU members salaries and the forceful imposition of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS on universities.
He added that ASUU and the FGN have signed agreements on these issues through various negotiations and memoranda, precisely, the 2012( ( mous) the ( 2017) moa) and 2019 ( moa) The ASUU Zonal Coordinator regretted that the non-implementation of these agreements has not only spelled calamity on the education sector but has further affected the smooth running of the university system in Nigeria.
