Credit: Punch
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.
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