The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Thursday said the Federal Government has refused to meet their demands because their children are not studying in local universities.
The ASUU president, Emmanuel Osodeke, who stated this while speaking with Arise News’ Morning Show, said their demands could be met in one day if the government prioritized the demands of the union.
Mr Osodeke said: “Government should prioritize education like Nnamdi Azikiwe and Awolowo, and older leaders did in this country. When we were in school, we were paid bursaries, but all that is gone now.
“This issue can be resolved in one day if the priority is there. If Nigerian leaders have their children in Nigeria, they would resolve the problem quickly.
“We must look for a way to ensure the children of our leaders’ school in the country so they would enjoin and suffer what we are suffering.”
On August 18, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had disclosed that the Federal Government spent over N6 trillion on revamping the country’s education sector in the last seven years.
Addressing newsmen at the weekly briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team, Mr Adamu said the money was spent on the provision of infrastructure and Information Communication Technology equipment to public institutions of learning across the country.
“The implementation of the sector’s blueprint is on course.
“In the last seven years, we have undertaken massive physical development of infrastructure, ICT development at all levels of our educational system, established new institutions, improved the carrying capacity of our institutions and expanded access to quality education at all levels.
“Steps are also being taken to accelerate the implementation of the 2020 presidential approval for the revitalisation of the teaching profession.
“The government of President Buhari has expended a total of N6, 300, 947, 848, 237 on capital and recurrent expenditure in the education sector in the last seven years,” he said.
The minister pledged that the government would continue to improve on the implementation of its strategic plans as well as create the necessary environment for the overall development of the education sector in Nigeria.
Mr Adamu announced that all states of the federation could now boast of at least a federal university and polytechnic in each of them.
“This administration has ensured that all states of the federation now have a federal university and a federal polytechnic, with nine universities, nine polytechnics and six colleges of education established between 2018 and today.
“This administration is determined to ensure that they take off very well that is why provisions have been made for all of them,’’ he said.
The minister highlighted that the basic and secondary level of education had also received attention for the current administration, with about N553 billion spent in the process.
