JONATHAN APPROVES N400BN FOR UNIVERSITIES: ASUU STRIKE NOT CALLED OFF YET

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has approved a sum of N400 billion to be
expended on infrastructural development of Nigerian universities in
order to transform them to international standard within the next four
years.
The document to this effect is expected to...
be made available today at
the meeting of the Presidential Committee on Implementation of the
NEEDS Assessment in the universities with the leaders of the four
university based unions – the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian
Universities (SSANU), theNational Association of Academic
Technologists (NAAT), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and
Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU).
President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, stated this while
addressing his union members at the SSANU National Executive Committee
(NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja at the weekend.
Comrade Ugwoke was briefing the SSANU members on what the NEEDS
Assessment Implementation Committee, led by theBenue State Governor,
Gabriel Suswan is doing.
The N400 billion, according to him is different from the N100 billion
which Governor Suswan- led committee had raised from donor agencies
and big companies to tackle the problemsof Nigerian universities in
the year 2013.
The SSANU President said: "Let me give you a tip on what the NEED
Assessment Committee is doing. The President has approved that within
the next four years, N400 billion would be expended in infrastructural
development of Nigerian universities, and to transform them to
international standard.
"N100 billion has been raised by the Suswan Committee, he has done
that already. 61 universities had been penciled down as contained in
the NEEDS Assessment Committee. These 61 universities will share the
N100 billion in various categories which include refurbishing and
renovation of lecture theaters and lecture halls, refurbishing and
renovation of laboratory/library and the renovation of hostels.
"The second category is building of new hostels of international
standard, self-contained room, the latest model inthe world. That is
the standard to be built in every university, and also the
state-of-the-art laboratories as well as classrooms, lecture theatres
and the halls."
Comrade Ugwoke pointed out that the money had been sharedand out of
the N100 billion, N96 billion had been sent to universities.
He added: "The committee is meeting again on Monday (today),and by
Monday, the document will be out. This time around, itis not only by
giving universities money, but it will be monitored to ensure that the
money is used to transform the universities, to bail universities out
of the present situation and develop them to an internationally
recognized university standard."
He, however regretted that the initial setting up of the first
committee that came up with the report was subjective, wondering how a
committee on NEEDS in the universities would be set up to work without
the inclusion of the three non- teaching staff unions, SSANU, NAAT and
NASU, but only flocks with ASUU members and their associates.
The SSANU president stated that this led the committee to write a
report only from ASUU's perspective, but for the quick intervention of
the other three unions who wrote a counter report which was accepted
by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who apologized
to the other unions.
However, he assured the non-teaching staff in the universities and
SSANU members that none of them will be retrenched based on the
previous NEEDS Assessment report.
The SSANU president said: "I know that our members will be saying that
what does the committee say about our members. Ican assure you that
our members will never be relegated, they will never be sacked or
retrenched, there is nothing like that inthe terms of reference of the
Presidential Committee on the Implementation of NEEDS Assessment.
"We have three Presidents against one in that committee and we are
doing our networking. Unless they want to close the universities, they
dare not try to retrench or touch our members, because when we go on
strike, it will be mother of all strikes, they know that.
Not even vice-chancellors will cross the gate of the universities."
He also frowned on the Senate approval of girl-child marriage,
describing it as an embarrassment to the nation, saying that what
Senate should concern itself with is girl-child education, compulsory
girl-child education and not compulsory girl-child marriage.
Comrade Ugwoke also condemned the abrogation of the National Minimum
Wage law and the failure of the Senate to approve local government
autonomy because of their personal selfish interest.
SSANU, according to him called on the Senate to reverse its amendment
on girl child marriage, local government autonomyand the issue of
national minimum wage.