The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Government, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of deliberate destruction of the public university system to perpetually impoverish and enslave Nigerians.
ASUU argued that since a country’s development in hinged on the level of enlightenment and knowledge at its disposal, the public university system had been targeted to hamper Nigerians access to enlightenment and knowledge.
Speaking during a press briefing at the University of Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the Port Harcourt Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Stanley Ogoun, revealed that apart from the onslaught on the country’s public university system, the unplanned subsidy removal and the floating exchange rate policies are other weapons sponsored by the so-called “development partners” to enslave Nigerians.
Ogoun spoke in company of the unions’ National Investment Secretary, Austen Sado, ASUU Chairman, University of Port Harcourt, Uzoma Darlington Chima and other Chairman of Union from the Federal University, Otueke, University of Africa, Bayelsa Medical University, Rivers State University, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education and the Niger Delta University.
He regretted that the ruling class have refused to learn from earlier failed economic policies including the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which was resisted by the union.
Ogoun urged Nigerians to stop sitting on the fence concerning the current threats, but to rise and fight for the future of the country, stressing that if Nigerians continue to be indifferent to the existential threats, the country’s public university system would eventually collapse just like other public facilities and the children of average Nigerians would find it impossible access tertiary education.
He said, “The unplanned subsidy removal and the floating exchange rate policies, vigorously pushed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (as canvassed openly in at various public fora by their agents) have unleashed terror on the masses. There is a clear existential threat to the average Nigerian at the moment.
“It is on record that no country has moved up the development index on the basis of either the World Bank and IMF policies. All countries who relied on their policies are grossly indebted and have remained pauperized. The examples from the Asian Nations and the likes, are obvious pointers to this reality.
“Over the years, our Union has persistently warned that the policies of these so-called development partners are never intended to lead any of the poor nations out of poverty. One of their targets is to destroy the education system in Nigeria, as they know that the removal of the right and access to education from the critical mass of the country’s citizenry, renders them vulnerable to perpetual slavery.
He added, “The Nigerian Public University System has continued to face unrelenting onslaught from these so-called development partners with their Greek-gifts that mean no well for the nation. Sadly, their co-conspirators within the ruling class appear not to have learned any lessons from their previously sponsored failed economic policies including the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which our Union resisted.
“Regrettably, they have continued to form an unholy alliance with these institutions towards the realisation of the neo-colonial agenda of pauperisation and continuous emasculation of our national development aspirations with a view to keeping us perpetually as a feeder economy.”
Ogoun stated that the Federal Government had continued to jettison the Union’s unselfish demands despite reaching an agreement with them 15 years ago.
“We went on strike for these issues and reached an agreement in 2009, which was to be reviewed after three years by the terms of the Agreement, but as at today (15 years after), successive governments have frustrated and jettisoned all the efforts made to review and sign a new agreement.
“We have gone through the pains of several failed negotiations, for which the last attempt was concluded for signing, only to be thwarted by Chris Ngige (an unpatriotic Nigerian) and his cronies in the civil service.
“The rights of collective bargaining as enshrined in the ILO Charter, as an established principle of wage determination, is being jettisoned by the Government.”
Ogoun highlighted the union’s demands thus, “Our demands which remain sacrosanct are: increased budgetary allocation to the education sector as in other African countries in line with the UNESCO recommendation and the AU strategy for lifting Africa out of poverty and ensuring peace in the Continent: payment of improved salaries based on the African average as applicable to the African University System towards attracting at least African Faculty in the Nigerian University System (NUS).
“Signing of the renegotiated agreement that was concluded with the Late Professor Emeritus Nimi Briggs’ led Committee in 2022, with adjustments to reflect the current exchange rates; the release of the Revitalization Funds towards facility improvement; and halting of the proliferation of public universities without adequate funding for the existing ones.”
