By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Chairman of the University of Ibadan Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Deji Omole on Wednesday said the union is on rescue mission with its on going warning strike.
Dr Omole stated this while speaking on the warning strike in the university which he said has achieved more than ninety percent success on the first day.
According to him, ASUU is “out to save this nation and we are on crusade to save public education because we know that without education no meaningful development can take place”
The ASUU Chairman pointed out that unless public education in the country get the much deserved attention from government the future of Nigeria is not assured.
‘This government is almost two years in office and if a government does not take education seriously, I don’t know what it will take seriously. What we need to get out of the woods of recession is for education to get the deserved attention” he said.
The ASUU Chairman lamented that it was unfortunate that the National Assembly just woke up to the news of the strike a day to commencement when they were the ones who did not make sufficient budgetary allocation for education in the 2016 budget.
“We want a total commitment to education that will liberate the nation. We are talking about the life of the nation. Any nation that wants to grow must take education seriously. We are on strike because we are fearful of the future of Nigeria in the absence of quality education”.
He added that the union “had agreements in 2009 and signed an MoU in 2013 and these have not been implemented” adding that “they have also systematically reduced our salaries for 12 months in university of Ibadan”.
“The same lawmakers made budget that can accommodate the purchase of exotic cars but not on public education for the children of the masses. The public should sympathize that we have shown enough understanding with government”.
At the University campus, students at the Faculty of Education, examinations could not hold due to the strike as lecturers boycotted lecture rooms in faculties of Education, Arts, Sciences, Technology, Agriculture and the Social Sciences while students were seen in their various halls discussing the strike.
