Public Funded Education Remains Last Hope For Poor Nigerians – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday said that public funded education remains the last hope for poor Nigerians
ASUU in a statement by its Ibadan Zone, jointly signed by the Zonal Coordinator, Professor Oyebamiji O. Oyegoke, and Prof. Ayoola Akinwole (UI), Prof. Moyosore Ajao ​ (UNILORIN), Prof. Biodun Olaniran – (LAUTECH), Dr.​ ​ Shehu Salau (KWASU), Dr. Wende Olaosebikan (UNIOSUN) insisted that it will continue to fight for the interest of her members in Federal and state universities to get better conditions of service and improve access to quality education for the children of masses.
Faulting a statement credited to the pro-chancellor of Osun State University, Malam Yusuf Alli that ” it is wrong for the federal Government to negotiate with ASUU and force implementation on state varsities as an unfortunate view of enemies of public funded university in Nigeria”.
The union in the statement noted that Nigerian academics cannot be asked to earn by their performance when basic infrastructures for teaching and research are not available including funding for research.
The Pro – chancellor and Chairman of council, Osun State University, Mallam Yusuf Alli by his statement that ‘it is wrong for the Federal Government of Nigeria to negotiate with ASUU is a regurgitation of non practicable views of some detractors of public university in Nigeria”, it said.
ASUU added, ” like ASUU has pointed out severally, these are words that do not take the social and economic issues of the Nigerian state into realistic consideration. How can he say councils that cannot develop​ infrastructure in university except through ASUU agitation for university revitalisation​ and intervention of TETFUND should be negotiating workers’ salary?”
” ASUU will continue to resist any attempt to “further pauperise lecturers and subject them to the whims and caprices of chairmen of council who are tools in the hands of Governors. No one can shy away from the fact​ that some state universities struggle to pay their staff salaries”
According to ASUU,  it was also surprised that the UNIOSUN pro-chancellor is unaware that pro-chancellors have always been part of the negotiations, saying ” asking a responsible union like ASUU to negotiate with Councils who cannot develop basic infrastructures in their respective varsities show a capitalist mindset of people who want the children of the masses to be denied access to quality public education as well as enslave lecturers in such varsities”
The Union pointed out that even the so-called 2022 inaugurated reconstituted committee to negotiate with ASUU by the Federal Government is made up of pro-chancellors from the geopolitical zones of the country, the union wondered where UNIOSUN pro-chancellor thought the TETFUND projects which have improved its infrastructure would have come from if not from ASUU patriotic struggles.
” Imagine if they are left to negotiate it! Osun state university presently does not have the capacity to negotiate with ASUU and he​ should desist from suggesting confusing narrative on public university in Nigeria. 
” Emphasis should be on the improved access and quality of university education rather that merely talking about educational policies in developed economies engendered by sustainable investment absent in Nigeria.”