Poor Funding, Unpaid Salaries: ASUU Wants NUC to Visit Ondo Institutions
James Sowole
Citing alleged inability of Ondo State to fund its tertiary institutions, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to pay investigative visits to three universities established by the state government to ascertain their true state and take the necessary action.
The call was contained in a statement signed by the Benin Zone of the union, Dr. Anthony Monye-Emima, urging the union not to be complicit in the attempt by the Ondo State Government to reduce university education to a ridiculous level.
In a swift reaction, the state government through the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said what is happening is not peculiar to the state going by the economic situation in the country.
“Ondo State-owned tertiary institutions are not the only ones facing challenges and the government has been trying a lot to address the situation.”
ASUU in the statement titled ‘Making a Travesty of University Education in Ondo State’, said going by the economic situation in the country and the state of affairs in the state universities, it was obvious that the state cannot fund them as expected.
Ondo has three universities, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akugba Akoko (AAUA); Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitikpukpa (OSUTECH); and Ondo State University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED).
According to Monye-Emina, AAUA and OSUTECH lecturers have been on strike over the non-payment of their salaries, while the institutions are groaning under non-payment of subventions and poor infrastructure.
“The first two state-owned universities in Akugba-Akoko and Okitipupua are shut down owing to inability of the academic staff to continue to go to work. This is due to nonpayment of salaries, for several months, and gross underfunding of the institutions.
Adekunle Ajasin University staff are owed arrears of salary and deductions running into months.
“Between November 2015 and now, the university has not received a dime from the state government for the payment of salaries and meet other running costs that are also begging for attention. Simply put, the university is reeling under the yoke of gross underfunding.
“Deductions have not been remitted to co-operative societies, welfare/thrift groups since last year. Efforts by the university administration at paying salary via internally generated revenue, though unacceptable, have been rebuffed by the state government. “Unions’ deductions are being withheld illegally while efforts by staff to better their living condition through the cooperative society have been frustrated.”
Monye-Emina described the case of OSUTECH as pitiable, saying, “the last time the staff received salary was in January 2016. In other words arrears of salary owed runs into months and nobody, not even the university management or the state government is engaging them on the issue.
“While ASUU called on the state government to immediately pay all arrears of salaries owed its members in AAUA and OSUTECH without further delay the Benin Zone of the union is in solidarity with its members in the universities concerned.
“The zone also calls on the government to rethink its policy of establishing multiple universities, taking into consideration its financial strength. For a state that does not have a relatively well-off financial base and highly dependent on federal allocation to own three universities is simply absurd.
“Education is not a revenuegenerating sector and so a heavy financial burden has been placed on the state. The consequences can be counter-productive. This explains the current challenges witnessed in the two older universities”, the coordinator stated.
He added that Ondo-owned institutions are known for excellence and if the government had not shown commitment, all the accolades cannot be possible.
“It was when Mimiko came on board that many projects were executed at the OSUTECH and which led to the movement of academic activities to the permanent site. Tertiary institutions were established to democratise education. We are investing in the future of youths. We pride education as a golden project in the state.
“The University of Medical Sciences, which is the first in West Africa, was purposely established to ensure that we train our own medical personnel unlike before when we have to go to Ibadan and Ife.
The university was established to provide medical education for those who cannot afford to send their chidren to private universities or send them to foreign universities. We want many people to have access to tertiary education.