ASUU: Buhari Accuses ASUU of Corruption, Says Reason for Strike is irrelevant

CURSORY: In a recent speech, Buhari has accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities of aiding corruption in public varsities, says the union’s reasons for embarking on strike is irrelevant.

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, of being complicit in corruption in the tertiary education sector in the country.

This was after the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the President has accepted the report on the engagement of members of the House with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on how to resolve the ongoing strike by the union

On corruption in the universities, President Buhari made the accusation in his address at the fourth National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector, jointly organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, JAMB, held at the Banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the President, ASUU is no less complicit in the corruption in tertiary education. He said corruption in the education sector continues to undermine investments, while critics downplay funding by focusing only on budgetary allocations, urging a more comprehensive re-evaluation of expenditures.

“This year’s summit will mirror how corruption undermines educational policies, investments and create an unfriendly learning environment for our youths.

Incessant strikes especially by unions in the tertiary education often imply that government is grossly underfunding education, but I must say that corruption in the education system from basic level to the tertiary level has been undermining our investment in the sector and those who go on prolonged strikes on flimsy reasons are no less complicit.

The 1999 Constitution places a premium on education by placing it on the Concurrent List, thereby laying the responsibilities of budgeting and underwriting qualitative education on both the Federal and State Governments.

The total education budget for each year is therefore a reflection of both federal and state budgets and should be viewed as other financial commitments in their totality.

The allocation to education in the federal budget should not be considered via allocation to the Federal Ministry of Education and also academic institutions alone, but should include allocation to the Universal Basic Education, transfers to TETFUND and refund from the Education Tax Pool Account to TETFUND.

Corruption in the expenditure of internally generated revenue of tertiary institutions is a matter that has strangely not received the attention of stakeholders in tertiary education, including unions.I call on stakeholders to demand accountability in the administration of academic institutions and for unions to interrogate the bloated personnel and recurrent expenditure of their institutions.

Let me also implore the Unions to work with the government to put faces and identities to names on the payroll.Due to declining resources, the government cannot bear the cost of funding education alone. I task our academics to attract endowments, research and other grants to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education similar to what obtains in other countries.”the President was quoted as said.

Read Also: Strike: ASUU’s Lawyer Fires Back At FG, Says ASUU isn’t Disobeying Court Order

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