The
Academic Staff Union of Universities has condemned the attitude of the
Federal Government towards the recently signed Memorandum of
Understanding on the NEEDS projects in the universities.
The union expressed concern over what it called foot-dragging in the implementation of the agreement reached with it.
It also criticised the sacking of over
90 employees of the Cocoa Research Institute in Ibadan, the Oyo State
capital. It called on the Federal Government and the masses to rise
against the intimidation of the oppressed in the institution.
The National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr.
Ademola Aremu, and Chairman of University of Ibadan Chapter of the
union, Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye, said these during a media briefing at the
Postgraduate School of the university on Saturday.
Aremu said the attitude of the Federal Government towards implementing its part of the MoU was becoming disturbing to the union.
He said allocation of the funds claimed
to have been deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria for execution of
the NEEDS project of the nation’s universities had yet to commence two
months after the union called off the strike.
According to him, the Federal Government
ought to have commenced the process of depositing an additional N55bn
for the first quarter as agreed in the MoU with President Goodluck
Jonathan.
On his part, Ajiboye said students were
yet to benefit anything from the industrial action, owing to the
delayed implementation of the agreement with the government.
Ajiboye, who commended the press for its
role during the five-month old strike, urged journalists to beam their
searchlight on universities to ask questions about execution of
projects.
He asked the Federal Government not to
further delay implementation as such might breed another acrimony within
the university system.
Ajiboye while condemning the sacking of
over 90 workers at the CRIN, Ibadan urged all well meaning Nigerians to
rise against injustice being done to the oppressed.
PUNCH NG
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