The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP in the last presidential election, Adewole Adebayo has expressed concerns over the ongoing strike by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions, NASU.
Adebayo, in a press statement issued on his behalf by his Media Advisor, Chidi Onyemaizu, lamented the incessant disruption of academic activities in the institutions of higher learning in the country, saying the situation cast a slur on Nigeria’s image and put a disquieting question mark on the quality of graduates produced by the institutions.
The former presidential hopeful urged the Tinubu led administration to prioritise education over politics and political patronage by restoring enduring industrial peace in the country’s ivory towers.
“I’m of the opinion that restoring enduring industrial harmony in our ivory towers is no rocket science, it is doable and it is something that can be done if only the President can prioritise education over politics and political patronage by giving adequate funding to the universities and reaching a just and amicable settlement with the restive teaching and non teaching labour unions.
“The ongoing strike by non-teaching staff of universities is an embarrassment and an avoidable disruption; it would have been avoided if the government had not chosen to pay lips service to the welfare of University workers”, Adebayo said in the statement.
Continuing, the SDP chieftain noted that “SSANU and NASU are not asking for anything outside their legitimate earnings.If the Tinubu administration can pacify and patronize political allies and hangers on by the way of maintaining an over bloated cabinet at the expense of our common patrimony, I see no reason it cannot effortlessly fulfil its agreement with members of SSANU and NASU and pay them their withheld salaries.
“Beyond SSANU and NASU, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has also been hinting about another round of strike, this speaks to a failed and decaying system. “We cannot continue to be a nation that commits a huge part of its financial resources to servicing politicians and their extravagant lifestyles while neglecting the very core of human capital development- the University system”
Adebayo advocated for increased budgetary allocation to the education sector and “or on the alternative, like the judiciary and the National Assembly, funding of the universities, including staff salaries should be placed on the first line charge”
“As a developing country, adequate funding for our university education should at all times take precedence over servicing of political office holders”, Adebayo added.
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