November 15, (THEWILL) – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is not responsible for the current decay, in public universities in the country, Chairman of the Union at the University of Jos, Associate Prof. Lazarus Maigoro, said on Tuesday.
Speaking with newsmen during a peaceful protest on Tuesday, Maigoro said the ongoing struggle by ASUU is aimed at salvaging the university system from total collapse.
”It is no longer news that the Nigerian University system is currently facing its most existential threats.
”The systematic neglect, chronic underfunding, and lack of attention given to public universities and by extension the educational system have led to its inability to compete globally.
”ASUU had over the years, engaged previous and current governments with the aim of addressing and arresting this slide into decadence.
”So, Nigerians should not see ASUU as the enemy of education but the body, whose quest is to make university education the envy of all”, he said.
Maigoro added that the numerous struggles by ASUU led to the creation of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and the NEEDS assessment funds and other streams of funding to revive public universities.
Furthermore, he explained that its current struggle is centred around university autonomy, funding and the welfare of university workers, adding that all its agreements with the government since 2009 revolved around them.
”As a responsible union, we will not be part of those who want to destroy public universities and this is why as law-abiding and patriotic citizens we obeyed the court order and suspended our strike”, he said.
On the peaceful protest, Maigoro said the exercise was to call on the government to pay the eight months withheld salaries of its members and to honour agreements it reached with the union.
