"We are not about to surrender our rights to the government," said Ukachukwu Awuzie, the national president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), at the University of Lagos on Friday.
No resumption for students yet
With this firm statement, the fate of Nigerian University students hoping to get back to school soon, after two weeks, still hang in the balance. The federal government and ASUU have been at each other's throats over an agreement reached in 2008 between representatives of the two parties.
The Union had gone on an indefinite strike to press the signing and implementation of the agreement.
More funding for education
"The two teams agreed to begin the process of repositioning the university system as envisaged, that a required minimum of funds should be provided in the public universities - federal and state, with increased efforts by universities to generate funds without compromising the goals and integrity of universities," said Mr. Awuzie.
According to him, part of the agreement was that a minimum of 26 percent be allocated to education at the federal and state levels of the country.
"With this level of funding, we can halt the growing inability of the children of the underprivileged to get education," said Mr. Awuzie.
The academic said the funding is also to help improve the learning condition for students, and teaching condition for the lecturers, by upgrading programmes and facilities to advance research.
This, he said would reduce the threat that the brain drain of fresh graduates and lecturers to universities abroad pose to the nation's development.
Put your money where your mouth is
The Union chairman drew applause from some of his colleagues when he criticised the federal government for being insensitive to the development of education.
"...Though the present government touts education as one of the issues in its seven-point agenda, the allocation to education this year betrays government's lack of commitment to the education of Nigerian people," he said.
He added: "We cannot be surprised about this, when our leaders have all their children schooling abroad."
Also present at the briefing were: Ayo Olowe, ASUU chairman, University of Lagos chapter, Kabir Akinyemi, ASUU chairman, Lagos State University chapter, and the Coordinator, Ibadan zone, Akin Ajisegiri.
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