The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Government of neglecting to make university education a priority in the country.
Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, the President of ASUU, made the claim in an interview monitored by Grassroots.ng on Channels Television.
He bemoaned the fact that the government is concentrating its efforts on a gasoline subsidy that he feels does not exist, rather than investing in the nation’s colleges.
The ASUU president claimed that the government has been insensitive to the union’s demands for more than two months since lecturers went on strike.
“A government that cannot raise N200 billion to revamp all Nigerian universities and bring them to world standard, doesn’t have money to do that but that same government can raise N4 trillion for fuel subsidy; fuel subsidy and university education, which is more important to any country that wants to move forward?” he queried during the breakfast show.
“You can raise N4 trillion for fuel subsidy in a year, but you cannot raise N200 billion to fund your education because you don’t have money; it is a priority.
You can spend N228 billion to feed children in primary and secondary schools, but you cannot raise N200 billion to fund your universities; it is an issue of priority, that is the problem.”