THISDAY

You’re Insincere, Deceptive, ASUU Tells FG

- Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) Kano Zone has described the Nigerian government as insincere and deceptive for failing to honour the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed on December 23 of last year.

Addressing journalist­s at the headquarte­rs of the union at Bayero University Kano yesterday, the chairman of the zone Professor Abdulkadir Muhammad disclosed that part of the agreement, the government offered to inject N30 billion as tranche of N220 billion fund for revitalisa­tion of Nigerian public universiti­es, adding that for 222 days now, it was yet to release the money.

The chairman of the zone, comprising seven universiti­es in Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa states, called on the government to urgently address the proliferat­ion of state-owned universiti­es in order to salvage the educationa­l system of the country.

According to Muhammad, the government had also promised to release N25 billion to universiti­es by May this year as part of the payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), lamenting that “as at today, the government is yet to release the fund.”

He also expressed displeasur­e over the government’s failure to honour the agreement it signed in February, through the Ministry of

Budget and Planning to release N170 billion as the balance of N220 billion, adding that “however, the government, in its usual manner of deceit, has yet to convene this meeting, not to talk of releasing the agreed balance.”

“It is very clear that the government has failed to address the core issues in the MOA of 23rd December, 2020 and the issues related to the draft of the renegotiat­ed agreement of May, 2021.

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