Academic Staff Union of Universities has said the current funding system of public universities by the federal and state governments in Nigeria is unsustainable.
Speaking at the ongoing 22nd National Delegates Conference of the Academic Staff Union of Universities which was held at the University of Jos, Vice-Chancellor, UNIJOS, Prof. Ishaya Tanko, said it was inappropriate for the country to have a proliferation of private universities without adequate funding of public universities.
He warned that if the trend continued, public universities might soon go the way of public primary and secondary schools, which he noted had become unattractive to the people due to their moribund situations
He said, “ The current funding model of the University system is flawed and not sustainable at all. The model is that the federal government is paying salaries and I don’t know whether to call it salaries or stipends.
“I can assure you that the campus of the University of Jos wouldn’t have been existing.”
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, identified sound education, robust health of the citizens and security of lives and property as the tripod upon which modern nations develop.
ASUU president called on Nigerians to prevail on the government to live up to its expectation and ensure that the three basic elements of health, education, and security were fixed in the country, saying “Once these basic elements are in place, the rest of the process of a nation’s, growth and development becomes auto-piloted. ASUU also calls on all patriotic Nigerians to rise and direct the attention of the government to the right course of action, which is to improve the health, education, and security of the country. This is the only path to follow by any patriotic government A Guest Speaker at the National Delegates Conference, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who spoke on the theme, ‘Crisis of state and challenges of development in Nigeria,’ insisted that for Nigeria to resolve the various crisis, which had impacted negatively on its developmental aspirations, the people must be allowed to freely choose their leaders based on certain standards and best qualities.
The 22nd NDC of ASUU was attended by several dignitaries including the Governors of Borno and Katsina states.