Zone, has vehemently opposed the proposed Student Education Loan of the Federal
Government.
It described the loan as not only “strangulating” but has
the capacity of subjecting the benefiting students to slavery, perpetual debt,
depression and eventual suicide.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
capital on Monday, the Zonal Cordinator of ASUU, Happiness Uduk flanked by all
the Chapter Chairmen of the zone said it was disheartening that the people who
attended schools on scholarship, enjoyed meal subsidies, bursary awards among
others were the ones making some of these obnoxious policies saying that the
union would not relent in opposing such policies.
Uduk in a statement jointly signed by the eight union
Chairpersons reasoned that instead of giving loans for students education; FG
could use the money for interventions in higher institutions saying that such
would bring about positive turnaround of events that would make the
institutions self reliant with highly subsidized tertiary education in the
country.
According to her, “It is disheartening that people who
attended schools on scholarship,enjoyed meal subsidies, free laundry services
and bursary awards are the same running our economy today. Their Children are
on scholarship in the best foreign universities in the world but after
siphoning our economy, they turn around to impose a strangulating Education
Loan in tax payers’ children so that they will be enslaved and remain indebted
to the country forever. They do not mind the devastating effect of this scheme
on the country, such as depression, suicide, and collosal loss of
intellectuals.
“To this end, we vehemently condemn the idea of Education
Loan and state clearly that using the money for intervention in higher
Institutions will be about a positive turn-around of events that will make our
institutions self reliant on highly subsidized tertiary education in Nigeria.”
The union also called on the federal government to come to a
renegotiation table and reconvene a committee to review the agreement reached
by ASUU leadership and Prof. Nimi Brigs-led Government committee with the view
of adjusting the document according to the current economic realities so as to
have acceptable salary structure for university lecturers.
The union also condemned the indiscriminate proliferations
of universities in Nigeria without adequate funding by both the Federal and
state governments, noting that 2020 ASUU-FGN Memorandum of Action (MoA), which
stressed the need to review the NUC Act to make it more potent in arresting the
reckless and excessive establishment of universities, should be fully
implemented.
“We urge the President Tinubu-led administration to refrain
from further proliferation of universities and rather consolidate on the
already existing ones. What we need are universities that are adequately
equipped and empowered to address the challenges confronting Nigeria, not
glorified schools,” the statement added.
On the ongoing minimum wage negotiation, the ASUU Calabar
Zone urged FG to immediately deploy the instrumentality of collective
bargaining to conclude the social dialogue, saying that such would lessen the
invasive decline in the socio-economic lives of Nigerians.
It further urged federal, state and local governments to
take a critical look at all unworkable policies and programmes sponsored by
international money lenders such as the World Bank and IMF with a view to
reclaiming the country’s sovereignty and restoring the confidence of Nigerians.
The union, however, advised governments and her agencies to
read the Act establishing universities and stop interfering and threatening the
autonomy of the universities, especially in terms of policy, academic planning
and administration, even as it advised that suspended members in Ebonyi State
University be recalled in obedience to the declarations and orders of the
National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
It added that outstanding salaries of academics in all
institutions should be paid without further delay, noting that failure to
accede to their demands would make them embark on industrial action, even as it
regretted that it resorted to strike to press home its demands as that was the
only language the government understood.
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