ASUU’s N87bn can’t be renegotiated, says APCThe All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked theFederal Government to honour its agreement withthe Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) inorder to end the ongoing strike that has paralyzedacademic activities in the nation’s publicuniversities. In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by itsInterim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji LaiMohammed, the party said no government worthits salt can afford to play with education, because itis the path to nationaldevelopment. It said ASUU was not making any fresh demandbeyond the agreement it reached with thegovernment in 2009, adding: ”Agreements aremeant to be honoured, and breaching them comeswith some consequences.” APC said the strike which has kept students inpublic universities at home for many weeks is afurther blow to the country’s education system,which has deteriorated so much that no Nigerianuniversity is currently listed in the top 100universities in the world and only a few Nigerian universities have made the top 100 in Africa. ”The 87 billion naira that ASUU is demandingrepresents earned allowances hence cannot berenegotiated. In any case, this amount pales intoinsignificance when placed side by side with the 1trillion naira that has been spent on federallegislators in the past 8 years; or the frivolity involved in a government minister travelling toChina to negotiate a $1 billion loan in a charteredjet (with its attendant costs) and with a retinue ofstaffers who earned generous estacode in hardcurrency. ”It is an indication of the kind of priority that thisFederal Government attaches to education thatwhile it has refused to meet its own side of anagreement it reached with ASUU since 2009, itcould pay out 3 trillion naira in non-existent fuelsubsidies to fat cats, spend 10 billion naira annually to maintain the jets in the presidential fleet and dolittle or nothing to prevent the stealing of 400,000barrels of crude oil per day, which translates to$120 million in a month, money that surely ends upin some people’s pockets! ”What we are saying is that if the FederalGovernment would reduce its profligacy and cutwaste, there will be enough money to pay teachersin public universities, as well as fund research andupgrade infrastructure in such institutions. Hungryteachers can neither teach well nor carry out research. And poorly-taught students can neitherexcel nor propel their nation to greatheights,” the party said. It expressed total shock and disgust at thedemonstrated non-chalance of those who shouldbe working round the clock to resolve the crisis,especially the Minister of State for Education NyesonWike, who has enough time on his hands to belaunching vigilance groups and dancing ‘palongo’ around town when the nations public universitiesare shut and students are languishing. This isshameful and totally unacceptable. ”We are not surprised, because most governmentofficials have sent their children and wards toforeign universities, hence do not give a damn if thechildren of others are in school or not. ”Education is the key to national development. Thisis why UNESCO has recommended an allocation ofat least 26% of national budgets to that criticalsector. Therefore, talking about national growthand development without adequately fundingeducation is a pipe dream!” APC said.