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Tag: ASUU

  • Fee hike may force 50% of students out of varsities, says ASUU

    Fee hike may force 50% of students out of varsities, says ASUU

    Varsity teachers umbrella body – the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) – yesterday expressed concern over the recent hike in fees by some higher institutions.

    They feared such development may force many students out of school, following justifications from by varsity authorities that hikes were necessitated by the prevailing economic realities.

    Some of the schools have reviewed downward their fees after students protested the upward reviews.

    Speaking yesterday on a national television, ASUU National President Prof Emmanuel Osodeke said the hiked fees will be difficult to pay by parents and guardians.

    He said: “Today, universities are arbitrarily increasing tuition fees. Is that correct in an environment today where the minimum wage is N30, 000 per month and where they have to pay rent and pay heavily for transportation? And you are enforcing this thing on the students?

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    “As a result of this – I can assure you that you can check if nothing is done about this heavy fee being introduced all over the country today – in the next two or three years, more than 40 to 50 per cent of these students who are in school would drop out.

    “If such happens, these students would become willing tools in the hands of those who want to make the country ungovernable.

     “When I was a student, the government was paying me for being a student. Let’s have an environment where the children of the poor can have access to education, not closing them. If you say school fees of N300, 000, how can the children of somebody who earns N50, 000 a month be able to pay such fee?”

    To remedy the situation, Osodeke urged the federal government to increase its educational budget “to at least 15 per cent from last year’s 3.8 per cent”.

  • Edo varsity ASUU kicks against misleading reports

    Edo varsity ASUU kicks against misleading reports

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of Edo State Government-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma in Edo Central Senatorial District, has kicked against the “embarrassing, misleading and damaging” reports on AAU by the Special Intervention Team (SIT) of the higher institution.

    It noted that the reports, which were tagged “interim and progress reports,” and presented to AAU’s visitor, Governor Godwin Obaseki, in May 2023 and August 2023, were blended by the SIT to beguile Obaseki and the general public about the crisis responsible for the ill-being of the university.

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    The Chairperson of ASUU at AAU, Ekpoma, Dr. Cyril Onogbosele, who was accompanied by the Assistant Secretary, Dr. William Odion, spoke at a news conference in Benin on SIT’s interim and progress reports on AAU and the crisis in the university.

    ASUU of AAU said: “Since the governor of Edo State gave ninety days ultimatum, with effect from 16th March, 2023, for the dissolution of SIT, and its replacement with a governing council, when an elaborate stakeholders’ meeting on the crisis in the university was held, SIT has been incensed to frustrate and nullify the decision by the governor to dissolve the team.

    “This is primarily responsible for the gale of false information in the reports on the university and its staff, being propagated by SIT.

    “In presenting SIT’s progress report to the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Austin Osakue claimed that SIT had uncovered academic fraud in the university (AAU). He (Osakue) alleged that over thirty students schooling overseas (abroad) had graduated from AAU, Ekpoma due to the marking of their examination answer scripts by lecturers of the university. ASUU considers this allegation of academic fraud as an illusion and demands publication of the names, courses, departments, years of graduation of the students in question, as well as details of the lecturers involved in the alleged academic fraud.

    “For self-serving reasons, a particular member of the SIT, who is the de facto chairman of the team, is preoccupied with, and committed to blackmailing the academic staff of the university and demarketing AAU, in order to consign the image of the university to the hall of shame.”

  • AAU ASUU decries misleading, damaging reports

    AAU ASUU decries misleading, damaging reports

    Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, chapter, has decried the “embarrassing, misleading and damaging” reports on AAU by the Special Intervention Team (SIT) of the institution.

    It noted that the reports, which were tagged: ‘Interim and progress reports’, and presented to AAU’s visitor, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, in May and August, were blended by the SIT to beguile Obaseki and the public about the crisis responsible for the ill-being of the university.

    The Chairperson of AAU ASUU, Dr. Cyril Onogbosele, accompanied by the Assistant Secretary, Dr. William Odion, spoke yesterday at a news conference in Benin on SIT’s interim and progress reports on AAU and the crisis in the university.

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    He said: “Since the Edo State governor gave 90 days ultimatum, with effect from March 16, 2023, for the dissolution of SIT, and its replacement with a governing council, when an elaborate stakeholders’ meeting on the crisis in the university was held, SIT has been incensed to frustrate and nullify the decision by the governor to dissolve the team.

    “This is responsible for the gale of false information in the reports on the university and its workers, being propagated by SIT.

    “In presenting SIT’s progress report to the governor, Mr. Austin Osakue claimed that SIT had uncovered academic fraud in the university. He alleged that over 30 students schooling overseas (abroad) had graduated from AAU due to the marking of their examination answer scripts by lecturers of the university. ASUU considers this allegation of academic fraud as an illusion and demands publication of the names, courses, departments, years of graduation of the students in question, as well as details of the lecturers involved in the alleged academic fraud. 

    “Does graduation of students in a university start and end with ‘marking of scripts?’ Among other requirements, for a student to graduate in a university, first, the student must be admitted, registered, take lectures, pass examinations of courses and get approval of results/recommendations for graduation from Department Board of Studies, Faculty Board of Studies and the Senate of the University. Why then is the graduation of the students in the alleged academic fraud restricted to ‘marking of scripts by lecturers?’ Undoubtedly, it is a ploy to give dog a bad name, so as to hang it.

    “For self-serving reasons, a particular member of the SIT, who is the de facto chairman of the team, is preoccupied with, and committed to blackmailing the academic officials of the university and de-marketing AAU, in order to consign the image of the university to the hall of shame.”

    AAU ASUU called for a thorough, transparent and just investigation of the claim of academic fraud in the university.

  • ASUU seeks payment of eight months withheld salaries, release promotion arrears

    ASUU seeks payment of eight months withheld salaries, release promotion arrears

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked the Federal Government, through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, to release outstanding promotion arrears owed its members in the interest of industrial peace and harmony in Nigerian universities.

    A statement by its President Emmanuel Osodeke, following a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in Borno State, reads: “NEC expressed serious concerns over the non-release of almost eight months’ salaries of university academics withheld on account of the 2022 patriotic strike action triggered by government’s failure to implement the December 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) and its truncation of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.

    “NEC reiterated that the application of the anti-labour ‘No-Work-No-Pay’ policy to academics ignores the indisputable facts that (i) only the teaching component of academics’ work was suspended during the strike action, and (ii) with the suspension of the strike through interventions by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives (now Chief of Staff to Mr. President and Visitor to federal universities), Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well-meaning Nigerians, the academics have made up for the lost ground under the most excruciating economic conditions.

    “NEC commended Nigerian academics for their courage, resilience, and determination to weather the economic, social, and emotional storms unleashed on them by the unpaid salaries.

    “NEC attributed past strike actions of ASUU to failure of successive governments to honour agreements and memoranda arrived at through the collective bargaining principle enunciated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and domesticated in Nigeria’s labour law.

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    “ASUU, therefore, calls on the new government to put machinery in motion for the speedy conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement following the recommendations of the Professor Nimi Briggs’ Committee to restore the integrity of the Nigerian University System (NUS).

    “NEC acknowledged the ongoing efforts to make the Federal Government release the withheld salaries of academics and implored ASUU national leadership, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and all true patriots to spare no efforts in this respect.”

    “NEC strongly believes that payment of the withheld salaries would go a long way to shore up the sagging morale of Nigerian university teachers.

    “NEC noted with serious concern that ASUU members are currently owed several months of promotion arrears arising from distortions traceable to the forceful enrollment of academics on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform.

    “NEC observed that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has failed to address the issue, despite several efforts by the union and university administrations.

    “Consequently, ASUU calls on the OAGF to ensure the immediate release of backlog of promotion arrears to our members in the interest of industrial peace and harmony.

    “NEC was disturbed by reports of massive employment racketeering perpetuated by operators of the discredited IPPIS, including scandalous revelations at the recent sittings of House of Representatives’ Probe Panel on IPPIS.

    “NEC observed that the unsavoury trend has eroded university employment tradition in violation of the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003, and Guidelines for Appointments and Promotions of individual universities. ASUU rejects all illegal appointments sponsored by the IPPIS and its agents in Nigerian public universities.”

    ASUU faulted the dissolution of the governing councils of universities, saying the action was against university system’s autonomy.

  • Between ASUU and FUOYE

    SIR: Recently, a piece entitled: “Again, ASUU alleges corruption, mismanagement, tyranny in FUOYE’, was published in one of the national newspapers. Unfortunately, the write-up in question attacked, without caution, the office and person of the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Prof. Kayode Soremekun.

    Thousands of informed and rational readers, expectant of a balanced that article, perhaps, would have consumed the piece. Such readers would be shocked to discover that the said article lacked the requisite perspectives from the other side.

    First, the piece misinformed the public that FUOYE’s local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities had again cried out against what the writer mischievously alleged as the “impunity and administrative recklessness” of the institution’s management. The wonder here is: Which local body of ASUU was the writer referring to? This is because at the moment, ASUU in FUOYE is in disarray. There are now, in fact, several splinter groups and some of them are so disillusioned that they have decided to cast their lot with the management while some have even decided to form a separate body, distinct from ASUU.

    Secondly, the writer of the one-sided piece claimed that the ASUU zonal body raised concerns at a press briefing about “perceived docility of the federal government in acting on the allegations of administrative recklessness earlier raised against the VC, and the failure to constitute a visitation panel to the university to “correct all ills and anomalies”. But one wonders if this writer thinks that the federal government would be so naive that it would pay attention to such unfounded lies when indeed, the VC had, in several counter press briefings, adequately replied such falsehood raised against him.

    Moreover, there have been many laughable allegations by the zonal ASUU leadership which had been proved to be mere falsehood and tissues of lies. For instance, there was the allegation that the VC bought many buildings in the capital city of Ado-Ekiti, and also got involved in pension jerk ups all of which were found to be untrue as none of these accusers has been able to come up with any evidence of such property belonging to the VC. Meanwhile, pension deductions of all staff of FUOYE are duties performed only by revenue bodies in government outside the university management’s purview.

    The writer also reminded his readers about a March 5, press briefing where ASUU purportedly raised an alarm on the VC’s alleged “rule of tyranny…other sundry allegations bordering on academic patronage, financial mismanagement, rotten state of infrastructure, and students’ welfare”. Again, here lies the insincerity and misleading nature of such claims as they (local ASUU and in cahoots with the Akure zone) had yet to produce incontrovertible evidence for such malicious allegations.

    On the issue of poor infrastructure in FUOYE, while this is not a peculiar feature to the institution, there are incontrovertible pieces of evidence that students and lecturers of the university on a daily basis laud the ingenuity of the university management in providing befitting infrastructural and learning facilities in the twin campuses of the institution. Indeed, since he assumed office, the vice chancellor can boast of having initiated, built and still building over 40 projects. Those structures are not ghosts. Rather, they dot the expansive landscape of the university for any curious eye to behold!

    An attestation to the VC’s performance is a recent award of excellence given to him by FUOYE’s Students’ Union Government in recognition of his “contributions to improved learning conditions, increased accreditation of programmes leading to numerical expansion and infrastructural development in the school.”

    On the issue raised about the acting bursar of the school, recall that former bursar of FUOYE had died suddenly in 2017, and shortly after that, the then chairman of the university council, resigned and to that extent there was a vacuum. On this note, it is instructive to appreciate that only the council is responsible for setting in motion the process of appointing a substantive bursar. And it was only recently that the federal government appointed a new chairman for the governing council.

    Pray! How does this development amount to administrative recklessness and violations of the university statutes on the part of the VC?

    We would like to advise the Zonal ASUU, Akure, to live up to expectations and emulate exemplary leaders like Professors Lai Olorode, Dipo Fashina, Attahiru Jega and Assisi Asobie who have paid their dues to the union without any damage to their respective reputations.

    • Geoffery Bakji,

    PRO, Federal University Oye-Ekiti.

  • ASUU criticises Buhari’s appointment of UNIABUJA VC

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted the appointment of a former Vice Chancellor of Kwara State University (KWASU), Prof Abdulrasheed Na’allah, as Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The union said appointing Na’allah, who was allegedly indicted by a visitation panel, would make a mockery of the government’s fight against corruption.

    In a statement jointly signed by its University of Ibadan (UI) Chairman, Prof Deji Omole, and the Ibadan Zonal Coordinator, Dr Ade Adejumo, the union recalled that Na’allah had been indicted by the visitation panel under former Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed.

    The union said the visitation panel’s report of 2016 indicted Na’Allah of financial recklessness, maladministration and abuse of due process as entrenched in the university’s laws.

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    The duo stated that while the tenure of Abdulrasheed Na’Allah lapses at Kwara State University on 27th of July, he has since resumed in University of Abuja has Vice Chancellor.

    The statement said: “A government that claims to be fighting corruption is protecting people alleged for corruption and compensating them with appointment. Example is the case of KWASU Vice Chancellor, who was indicted by the visitation panel set up by former Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed’s administration. The White Paper recommendations were not implemented; they were suppressed by politicians. Now, the government of President Buhari has appointed the same person as the Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja. He has even resumed while his tenure is yet to lapse in KWASU, thereby occupying two vice chancellorship seats.”

    Crow at Dawn, which I used to watch while growing up.

    “I was moved by a sense of nostalgia and concern when I read of his medical situation recently and decided to take over his medical bills. He has been visited and arrangements are being made to support him.

    “In other climes, the likes of Sadiq Daba and other such actors who, more or less, paved the way for the entertainment industry and the Nollywood industry in Nigeria (which is touted as the third largest movie industry in the world) would be celebrated as icons and due recognition would be accorded to them.

    “For me, taking care of Sadiq’s medical expenses is my little way of showing appreciation and gratitude for the good memories he created for me and others in the past.”

  • UNIPORT VC, ex-ASUU chair in war of words

    Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) Prof. Ndowa Lale, and former Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIPORT chapter, Prof. Andrew Efemini, an activist, are entangled in a brawl.

    Efemini accused Lale, who took office on July 13, 2015, of financial impropriety, highhandedness, intimidation and incompetence. He called for his immediate removal.

    The ex- ASUU chair said he decided to petition the University’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Prof. Mvendaga Jibo, to end Lale’s “abuse of office and poor performance”.

    He said: “Prof. Lale criminally misled the Senate by not providing an approved schedule of fee in federal universities to the distinguished members. The fee schedule directed that the recommended fees for all students should be a maximum of N45,000 only.

    “The directive is that students coming into the university should be charged fees not exceeding N45,000, all inclusive. The circular warned against the collection of acceptance fee, but Prof. Lale collected N30,000 as acceptance fee from each student. Under the draconian VC’s watch, first-year students are charged N128,000, excluding non-statutory charges at the various faculties and departments.

    “In 2017, Prof. Lale, in pursuit of his ambition to see stooges and surrogates go to council, caused the withdrawal of elected internal members of council, who were yet to serve their statutory four-year tenure. In spite of protests, Lale ruled that two years in council for Senate representation is legal. Let him provide the law. Prof. Lale, after two years, conducted another election to council at the Senate on February 28. The tenure of four years, as stipulated in the university law, was violated.

    “Prof. Lale must be urgently removed from office and investigated to save the university from further highhandedness and damage. He cannot be in office as VC, while Senate necessarily reviews all cases of injustice to students, arising from his criminal concealment since 2015.”

    Efemini also alleged that the VC and his illegal internal council members unleashed terror on him and some members of staff, especially lecturers who were opposed to his ruthless abuse of office.

    But Lale, in a statement, described Efemini as a certified fraudster and an eccentric anarchist.

    The statement reads: “The allegations against me are mere concoctions from the warped mind of Prof. Efemini and his gang of professional trouble makers. In his now characteristic bravado and clownish shadow-boxing exercise, Prof. Efemini levelled allegations against me, without providing irrefutable evidence to back up his bogus and reckless claims.

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    “No federal university is allowed to collect school fees from students. Discerning observers will expect a self-advertised champion of students’ causes to know the differences between statutory charges and school fees. Such selective short-sightedness is typical of Prof. Efemini, in his haste to reach conclusions, before verifying the facts of any matter.

    “The National Universities Commission (NUC) directed universities that might wish to exceed the N45,000 ceiling to consult students and other stakeholders, which Prof. Efemini did, while he served as Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs in 2013. The subsisting ‘acceptance fee’ was paid by students during the tenure of Prof. Efemini as Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs. I was not the VC at the time the ‘acceptance fee’ became official policy. I must be a superhuman to mislead Senate, comprising very distinguished academics.

    “I was not the VC when Senate reached an agreement for its members to serve two-year tenure on the Governing Council. Nobody was ever prevented from contesting a second tenure, as recent election into the council has proven.

    “Prof. Efemini is a certified fraudster, who has done incalculable damage to the hard-earned image of UNIPORT. His sadistic urge for cyclical chaos is not in synch with the activities of a conventional university. Prof. Efemini has not hidden his intention to disrupt normal academic activities in the university, since the subsisting peace does not conduce to his operational structure.”

    Lale added that the current attacks on him were not the first by Efemini on a VC, stressing that he levelled similar allegations against his predecessor, Prof. Joseph Ajienka.

    He added: “Prof. Efemini was pardoned by the management on account of a previous infraction that almost earned him sack. He prostrated from office to office and recruited all manner of persons to intercede on his behalf. No sooner was he pardoned than he launched his latest shadow-boxing exercise, to the embarrassment of all men and women of goodwill, who pleaded for the waiver of his suspension.

    “Prof. Efemini has long ceased to teach his courses and he does not have contact hours with students, as required by extant rules. It is now time for him to be released from the services of the university, to give him enough time to pursue his destructive programme of unremitting anarchy outside the sane precincts of the campus.

    “Such an eccentric anarchist has no place in an academic community that prides itself on polished behaviour, refined discourse and deference to the rights of others. Prof. Efemini should no longer be allowed to pollute the campus with his wild imagination and shadow-boxing pranks.”

  • Court fixes July 3 for ruling in suit challenging NAU ASUU election

    A High Court sitting in Awka on Thursday fixed July 3 for ruling in a suit seeking the removal of the Executive of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian (ASUU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) branch held in 2018.

    NAN reports that a lecturer with the NAU, Dr Chris Abakare, sued the ASUU over irregularities in its recently held election.

    Justice Peace Otti, who was supposed to deliver the ruling on Thursday, fixed the new date, adding:” the ruling is not read,”.

    NAN reports that Abakare, specifically claimed that he was wrongfully disqualified from participating in the process based on what he called election malpractice resulting from ‘proposed’ guideline introduced after the process of election had begun.

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    He contended that his disqualification was unlawful, insisting that he met all the criteria needed for him to participate in the election.

    Abakare had contested for the position of the chairman of the union in the election but lost to Dr Stephen Ufoaroh.

    Abakare, in suit No.A/295/2018, filed by his lawyer, O.M. Madukaife, contended that he was unjustly disqualified from contesting the election and prayed the court to set aside the exercise.

    Other defendants are Prof Okey Agu, Dr Okechukwu Nwafor, Prof. Dennis Aribodor (immediate past chairman), Dr Kinsley Ubaoji.

  • FG/ASUU Agreement: Union wants Nigerians to caution FG over non-implementation

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on well-meaning Nigerians to caution the Federal Government to honour its agreement with the union to forestall further industrial crisis in the nation’s tertiary education sector.

    The union’s President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

    Recall that the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had at the end of its meeting at the Federal University of Technical Akure (FUTA) in Ondo, on Nov. 4, 2018, declared a ‘total, comprehensive and indefinite’ nationwide strike.

    The strike, was however suspended on Feb. 7, after series of negotiations between the parties and other concerned stakeholders.

    But Ogunyemi told NAN on Sunday that “Government has not kept faith with our MOA signed on February 7.

    “What government ought to have done, they do not want to do any more. They have literally gone to sleep.

    “For instance they had promised before the suspension of the strike, to set up visitation panel to our universities within two weeks and three months after government has not done anything in that regard.

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    “At least not to my knowledge that they had put any panel in place nor inaugurate any.

    “By February 28 of this year, government had promised to pay the union, N25 billion part payment of outstanding arrears of the EARN academic allowances.

    “Our renegotiation with Dr Wale Babalakin had promised to put us in a more cordial path with fair guidelines when we cone back to the renegotiation table but now, there seem to be no change of attitude on the side of government.”

    According to him, the union has a timeframe attached to every action, hence the current call for caution on the part of government.

    He explained that government had told the union that the funds had been approved, but Ogunyemi said that there was a huge difference between approval of such funds and its implementation.

    He said that three months after the said approval, the funds were yet to get to the union.

    “Our members have begun to express doubts about government’s promise to fulfill its pledge faithfully.

    “And when this pressure begins to mount there is nothing the leadership can do because leadership must hearken to the voice of followers.

    “The point is that we are not keen about disrupting the academic calendar. What we are doing is to express our worries and carry the public along.

    “So, Nigerians must come out now and speak to government concerning all these things raised to maintain the current precarious industrial stability on our campuses ” he said.

    He said that though the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu had assured the union that the payment would soon be done, but he expressed concern that time was of essence his members nationwide. (NAN)

  • Fed Govt approves N25b earned academic allowances for ASUU

    The Federal Government yesterday said it approved additional N25 billion payment as Earned Academic Allowances for the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    It was learnt that the money is part-payment contained in the Memorandum of Action (MoA) the union signed with the government.

    The Muhammadu Buhari administration said the N25 billion was aside the N20 billion it released last year to public universities across the country.

    The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, broke the news yesterday at his valedictory media briefing in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    Adamu was accompanied by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, and Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    The minister said all universities in the country had benefitted from the N20 billion released last year by the Buhari-led Federal Government.

    He said the Buhari administration inherited an un-implementable agreement of N1.3 trillion when it assumed office in 2015.

    Adamu said: “Let me inform you that the Federal Government has just approved an additional N25 billion to be shared to beneficiary institutions directly. Last year, the Federal Government released N20 billion directly to universities. As I speak, all universities have got their share of the N20 billion.

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    “The sad news is that the N200 billion that was released to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since 2013 for the universities has not been fully accessed. In specific terms, all the 73 public varsities have accessed the first tranche of 50 per cent of the N200 billion.

    “For the second tranche of 40 per cent, only 56 institutions have been able to access their funds. The last 10 per cent, representing the third tranche of the N200 billion, has not been accessed at all.”

    In his address, titled: Education for Change: Our Stewardship in the Last Four Years, the minister said the government invested N1.338 trillion on the sector in the last four years.

    Adamu said: “In spite of the economic downturn, we have done well in terms of investment in capital expenditure. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) interventions in states have recorded a total of N350 billion, while Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) and NEED Assessment interventions have recorded N857 billion with the main ministry and other agencies recording N86 billion, totalling N1.338 trillion in the last four years.

    “This is aside the N25 billion just approved for public universities. These figures have nothing to do with personnel and overhead cost in the Education sector, which are also well over N1 trillion.

    “Private sector investment in the Education sector – from the basic, secondary and tertiary levels – far outweighs government investment. Our aggregate expenditure in the Education sector (public and private), therefore, exceeds the much touted 20 per cent of our national budget. We are poised to do more.”

    Adamu said the Buhari administration had laid a good foundation for dealing with the challenges posed by the out-of-school children and the huge number of adult illiterates.

    “If we continue on this path, in the next 10 years, Nigeria’s challenges in this twin direction will be confined to the dustbin of history.

    “On basic, secondary and tertiary education, we shall continue on the path of infrastructural and manpower development, increasing capacity and creating unfettered access to all levels of our education for our young people,” he added.

    ASUU President Biodun Ogunyemi said the N25 billion was supposed to be released by government to its members in March as part of the MoA it signed with the union.

    The union leader said he could not confirm if members of the union had received the funds or not.

    The ASUU president said the N20 billion that had been fully accessed by its members was for revitalisation of universities across the country.

    Ogunyemi added: “I can’t confirm if the money has been released to our members. We still have issues with the money.

    “The N25 billion is part of the Earned Academic Allowances for our members. It is a part-payment. We have been chasing that money to be released to us. The money was supposed to be released on March 28 but the government released only N20 billion, leaving a balance of N5 billion.

    “The balance is supposed to be mainstreamed into 2019 budget.”