The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Akure Zone, has accused the Federal Government of misrepresenting the status of negotiations with the union, adding that newly established universities are mere “crises centres.”
Addressing journalists on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Thursday, the ASUU Akure Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Adeola Egbedokun, said that despite the seven-year moratorium placed by the Federal Government on the establishment of new universities, it still went ahead to announce new institutions.
Reports that the Federal Government approved a seven-year freeze on creating new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, following concerns over the proliferation of under-utilised institutions, overstretched resources, and declining academic quality.
The moratorium was approved at a Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after a presentation by Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu Alausa.
However, despite the moratorium, nine new universities — including the institution in Epe — received approval.
Egbedokun, flanked by ASUU chairmen from the seven branches under the Akure Zone, expressed concern that while existing universities remained poorly funded, the Federal Government continued to approve new ones, even after announcing a freeze on such approvals.
He said, “A few months back, the government came up with a kind of moratorium of seven years (on the establishment of new tertiary institutions). One of the agitations of our union is this issue of proliferation of universities, especially at the Federal and state levels and we were coming from the point of view that rather than proliferate, why not take care of the existing ones?
“It was agreed that for seven years, no license will be granted to any university again, but we all saw what happened a few days ago when we heard that a new university was granted a license. I think the government of Nigeria should live up to its words. Let your yes be yes and no be no. Is seven years the same thing as seven days?”
Reviewing the renegotiation process since the suspension of ASUU’s warning strike, Egbedokun stated that the National Executive Council rejected the salary adjustment proposed by the Federal Government, describing it as “a tokenistic and insulting gesture.”
