Speaking before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund at the National Assembly, ASUU warned that without consistent and adequate funding, the challenges facing higher education in the country would persist.

The ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, who spoke on behalf of the union, stated that the ongoing two-week warning strike resulted from longstanding issues.

According to him, the key demands of ASUU, including sustainable funding, improved conditions of service, revitalisation of public universities, and academic autonomy, remain unchanged.

The union also challenged the Senate committee to push the government to increase funding.

“Try us. Push government to fund universities adequately and you’ll see the end of strikes and the improvement of our universities in global rankings,” the ASUU president told the senators.

On funding delays, Piwuna revealed that although the National Assembly approved ₦150 billion for universities, only ₦50 billion had been released so far.

Even that amount, he noted, remains stuck at the Ministry of Education, where the minister allegedly intends to share it among universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, despite separate allocations for those institutions.

Read Also: ASUU Begins Two-Week Warning Strike

Meanwhile, ASUU raised the alarm over attempts by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to allegedly tamper with a portion of the 10,000 hectares of land belonging to the University of Abuja.

“We appeal to the Senate to intervene and prevail on the minister to leave the university land alone.”

Source: Punch