FG CAN'T MEET N92BILLION ASUU DEMAND - OKONJO IWEALA

The end of the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU, may not be in sight as indication emerged
yesterday that the Federal Government may not meet its demands.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for ...
the Economy, Dr.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, gave the hint in her speech at the opening of a
two-day National Council on Finance and Economic Development, NACOFED,
in Minna, Niger State.
She said the Federal Government had no resources to carter for the
lecturers' demands of N92 billion in additional allowances with the
current dearth of funds.
Okonjo-Iweala warned that if the demands of the lecturers were met in
salaries and allowances, the nation would not be able to provide
infrastructure in the universities.
The minister argued that the nation was still suffering from the
effect of the 2010 increase in salary and if steps were not taken to
handle issues of demands from various groups, all the resources
realised by the government would be used in settling salaries and
allowances.
"Now, ASUU wants government to pay N92 billion in additional
allowances when we don't have the resources to cater even now that we
are working to integrate past increases in pensions.
"That is why we need to make choices in this country as we are getting
to the stage where recurrent expenditures take the bulk of our
resources and people get paid but can do no work," she said.
The minister insisted that when she assumed office, the share of
recurrent expenditure in the total budgets accounted for about 77.2
per cent of the federal budget as against what she left in 2006,
adding that efforts were now being made to rebalance the ratio.
She also lamented the rise in both external and internal debts, saying
in August 2006 when she left office as minister, Nigeria had
$17.3billion, comprising$3.5billion in foreign debt and $13.8billion
in domestic debt.
"By 2011 when I returned to office, the total debt now stood at
$447.9bn and the domestic debt had now grown to about $42.3bn," the
minister said, adding that measures had been taken by the Federal
Government to address the situation.
Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu lamented that efforts to
deregulate the oil sector have been mired in series of subsidy
scandals, rather than yielding the desired benefits to social security
and economic growth.
Aliyu, who was represented by his deputy, Ahmed Ibeto, decried
Nigeria's huge oil reserve without a single refinery working in full
capacity.
In Lagos, motorists and pedestrians along the busy Ikorodu road
yesterday experienced hardship as scores of angry youths, students,
activists and workers in the nation's education sector flooded the
streets to protest what they termed the neglect of the sector by
government at all levels.
The protest, coordinated by the leadership of the Joint Action Front,
JAF, a coalition of non-governmental organisations and pro-democracy
groups, had representatives from the various students' and workers'
unions, including members of ASUU.
Others include the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities,
SSANU, the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, the
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, the Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, SSANIP, the Colleges of Education
Academic Staff Union, COEASU, the Education Rights Campaign and the
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR.
The protest march took off at the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, House
in Yaba and terminated at Maryland roundabout, where the JAF's
Secretary, Abiodun Aremu, addressed the participants. He condemned the
"nonchalant attitude of the Federal Government to the 42-day-old
strike embarked on by ASUU", noting that the unions had unanimously
agreed to shut down the education sector until government did what was
right.
Aremu explained that the protest marked the beginning of a national
sensitisation exercise to enlighten the public on the consequences of
the current neglect the country education sector suffers.
The Public Relations Officer of JAF, Isiaq Olaitan Buno, said the
protest, tagged, "Save public education" would continue in major
cities across the country, including Ibadan, Kano, Calabar, Owerri,
and Abuja.
ASUU National Treasurer, Dr. Ademola Aremu, condemned the current 8.43
per cent of the nation's total budget being allocated for the funding
of education, saying government must kick-start the implementation
process of the agreement it reached with the union in 2009.
ASUP National President, Chibuzor Asomugha, urged the government and
other stakeholders to rise up to the agitation for a sound educational
sector as championed by ASUU and other unions.
NANS South-West Zone D Secretary, Monsurudeen Adeyemo, and COESU
Chairman, Adetimilehin Michael, reiterated their unions' support for
the ASUU struggle, noting that "it is a just campaign to free the
education from the stronghold of the rich who destroy public
properties and monuments for their own to thrive at all cost".
ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan branch, Dr. Segun Ajiboye, who
addressed the protesters in Yoruba, urged governments to stop paying
lip service to the funding of education, stressing that "what is
tagged as a right cannot be denied".