Varsities won’t reopen until our demands are met by the FG – ASUU

The President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has requested that the Federal Government fulfills the agreement it had with the union before making any pronouncements on the reopening of tertiary institutions in the country.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, universities were shut down in March to curb the spread of the disease and are yet to be reopened though the government is itching to open them up again.

However, ASUU also said it would unfold its next agenda if the Federal Government refuses to negotiate the 2009 agreement which was signed by both parties.

ASUU National President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, while speaking at a town meeting at the African Hall, the University of Ilorin, refused to reveal this ‘next agenda’.

Ogunyemi said, “There is a deliberate attempt to kill university education in the country. Some universities use stoves in their laboratories instead of burners and buckets to fetch water to perform experiments; it’s as bad as that”.

He further stated that the union had in March embarked on an industrial action because of the government’s insensitivity to university education and some of ASUU’s demands included funding of university education, which the government had reneged on in the last 10 years.

He explained that ASUU had signed MoU with the Federal Government on the need to improve facilities on the campuses, students’ welfare, promotion, and welfare, which were ignored “because there are plans to make education inaccessible to children of the poor”, which today is creating social vices such as Yahoo-Yahoo, banditry, and other criminal activities in the society.

“Check the social media; you will see them celebrating their children graduating from foreign universities. This is why they are not willing to fund public universities”, the ASUU President said.