ASUU Criticizes Nigerian Government for Politicizing Education and Neglecting Existing Universities
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has strongly criticized the Nigerian government for using education as a political tool. They say the government is focusing more on building new public universities instead of properly funding the ones that already exist. Melemi Abatcha, who leads ASUU at Federal University Gashua in Yobe State, expressed these concerns during a press conference in Damaturu.
Abatcha pointed out that both federal and state governments treat university education like projects politicians bring to their local areas. He said this has led to the creation of new universities without enough money being set aside for the ones already running. This, according to him, strains resources and lowers the quality of education.
ASUU has been complaining about how universities are funded for a while now. Abatcha mentioned that the federal government promised things in 2023 but didn’t deliver. This included setting aside N50 billion to pay lecturers their Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and adding this allowance to their salaries from January 2022. Despite lecturers doing their work even during strikes, they still haven’t been paid.
Abatcha also criticized the continued use of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for paying ASUU members. Even though the Federal Executive Council (FEC) said ASUU should no longer be paid through IPPIS from December 2023, payments are still being made this way, which ASUU strongly opposes.
Abatcha mentioned that removing fuel subsidies without giving people other ways to manage costs has made life harder for Nigerians. He said ASUU doesn’t want to disrupt education more than it already has been but wants the government to solve these problems quickly. ASUU is asking the government to understand the difficulties Nigerians are facing and agree to pay workers fair wages.
