Former presidential aspirant Kingsley Moghalu has said that ASUU’s prolonged industrial action is proof that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has performed poorly in providing the well being of citizens
The union embarked on an indefinite strike in March 2020 over the failure of the government to honour agreements between both parties in 2009.
Kingsley Moghalu, in a statement on Wednesday, described as unfortunate the administration’s handling of the situation which has caused the strike to linger for long.
Moghalu, who is the convener of To Build A Nation (TBAN), said while industrial actions are legitimate, they become dysfunctional when protracted.
“That the government has allowed the current ASUU strike to continue for many months, by not reaching agreement with the lecturers, is very unfortunate. It amounts to a dereliction of the duty of the government to the wellbeing of the citizens,” the statement read.
“The country has been underinvesting in education for years and is far behind its comparator developing countries and emerging economies in terms of public investment in education.”
Moghalu said the federal government can’t claim seriousness about poor funding of universities — which is a major issue raised by ASUU — when only 5.6% was allocated to education in the 2021 appropriation bill.
“This indicates that the government is not giving enough considerations to the major issue in its long history of dispute with ASUU. The main issue has been the funding of the tertiary institutions, of which the emoluments of the lecturers are just a part,” he added.
He added that the government must initiate measures that will bring about comprehensive reforms in the country’s education sector which include improvement in teachers’ salaries and review in admission standards.
