We Demanded For N3Trillion Not N130 Billion - ASUU

* The National President of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Nasir Fagge,
has accused the federal government of not
telling Nigerians the truth about the demand of
the union as regards the government’s
statement that the union's demand has been
met.
According to Fagge, ASUU had a Memoranda of
Understanding (MoU) with the federal
government for it to spend over N3 trillion to
turn around the fortune of all federal and state
universities and also to better the lot of the
educational sector in the country.
“The agreement is for the federal government to
spend N800 billion yearly for the next four years,
but what we have is government talking about
N130 billion which is very insignificant," he said.
Fagge made the revelation Tuesday, while
fielding questions from journalists, at the end of
the congress of the Benue State University
chapter of ASUU, in Makurdi.
He said: "Our demands are genuine, and it is
based on the mutual agreement entered into in
2009 by government and ASUU. We urge the
government to be responsible to that
agreement.
"President Goodluck Jonathan said the strike is
being politicised but the truth is that it is
government that is playing politics with our
demands. It is as if every problem in this country
is now being politicised.
"I want to ask one basic question: Is it political to
ask government to be responsible enough to
implement an agreement she willingly entered
into.
"It is important to state clearly that we are a
union of intellectuals, and we cannot accept a
situation were the tail will wag the dog.
Whatever we do is for the betterment of the
Nigerian university system.”
In addition, the ASUU national president said: "It
is important to place on record that the struggle
is a continuous one but the implementation of
the 2009 agreement is key to improving on
facilities in our universities and placing it at par
with what we have in other parts of the world."