ASUU threatens nationwide strikes, hammers FG over low education budget
The Academic Staff Union of Universities may again, in 2024, embark on industrial actions as the union contests the insignificant amount of money budgeted for the education sector and poor remuneration.
In an interview with The PUNCH newspaper, Prof. Emmanuel Oshodeke, recalled the promise made to the union by President Bola Tinubu to increase the Education sector to at least 15 per cent or over.
He bemoans poor remuneration for professors in Nigeria, describing it as one of the lowest in the world.
Oshodeke pointed out that the Academic Staff Union of Universities was disappointed when the 2024Â education budget was announced to be N2.18tr or 7.9 per cent of the budget.
He called on the Federal Government to meet with the cabinet members and increase the budget to 15 or beyond.
“With this seven per cent education budget, nothing will change in the sector, it is just as we had during Buhari’s time. Tinubu during his campaign promised to increase the education budget but nothing.
“However, there is still a chance for him, to change. But if no improvement on this and our other demands, by next year, we will mobilise our people and we can’t stay like this because Oyo State has 15 per cent and Enugu State budgeted 32 per cent for education, but FG is giving less than eight per cent.
“He can still increase it, they should liaise with the executives and come out with a budget that is not less than 15 per cent as he promised during the election.”
On the sudden exodus of Nigerians to other nations in search of greener pastures, he advised the FG to “increase lecturers’ salaries, and the increment of retirement age, will enable lecturers to produce more PhDs, but the government is not interested in the system. They should separate lecturers from civil servants.”
On the absence of international scholars in many Nigerian universities, he said, “For you to be well-ranked, you have to get lecturers all over the world to come lecture in your system. We pay the least remuneration to professors, globally.
“Professors in Nigeria earn between $200 to $300 a month but when such a professor moves to Rwanda, he earns $3000.
“The government should allow universities to run on its own, they should sign the agreement with Nimi Briggs. They can do all these if there is willpower.”
