The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) Chapter, has reminded the Federal Government to honour the 2009 agreement on funding universities.
By IbrahimG Ahmad
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) Chapter, has reminded the Federal Government to honour the 2009 agreement on funding universities.
The chapter, which joined the nationwide peaceful demonstration, urged the government to ensure effective university funding and improved incentives for academic staff across the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that protesters carried placards with slogans such as: ‘Fund Education, Secure the Future and Honour Agreement, Pay Us.’
Other slogans read: ‘Justice for ASUU Now or Never’, ‘Unions United for Education Rights’, and ‘Education is a Right, not a Privilege’, among others.
The ASUU FUGUS protest, held peacefully within the university premises, sent a strong message urging government to respect the 2009 pact or risk industrial action.
Addressing journalists, the chapter chairman, Dr Abdulraman Adamu, expressed concern over government’s neglect of university funding and its reliance on TETFUND, while staff endured hardship and neglect.
He revealed that government owed academic staff three and a half months’ salaries from the 2020 strike period, in addition to unpaid promotion arrears and wage awards.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abubakar Muazu, lamented the worsening state of universities and appealed to both ASUU and the government to resolve issues in students’ best interests. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)