Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently face and fix the problem with the Nigerian economy to check growing tensions in the country.
ASUU noted that part of the problems with the present government is policy inconsistency which has plunged many Nigerians into the dungeon of poverty.
Chairman ASUU University of Ibadan, Dr Deji Omole stated this in a chat with newsmen on Sunday in Ibadan .
He noted that the economy is a superstructure that cannot be handled with levity but sound economic team and policy which he said are yet to materialise in the present government.
Dr Omole who stated that if about 3.5 million people lost jobs in 2016, and the economic conditions have not improved, it implied more dangers ahead if the present and his economic team do not formulate policies that can attend to the growing unemployment.
According to Omole, while the statistics of the unemployed are unpalatable, more youths are joining the market of unemployed and wasting away because to working policy has effectively target them.
He noted that the growing spate of kidnapping, abduction, corruption, armed robbery, cyber-criminality is not unconnected with the poor economic conditions which Nigerians now endure with no clear cut policy from government on how situation will improve.
Speaking on the impending strike at the university of Ibadan, Omole stated that the Buhari led administration must apologise to all University staff for the financial embarrassment it made them to experience in the Month of February through excessive shortfall in personnel cost sent to universities accross Nigeria.
While urging president Buhari to check sinister activities at the Budget office in Abuja, the ASUU boss said the union will resist her members being short-paid while they fully execute their job of teaching and research.
“The union condemns in its entirety the attitude of government with relation to policy somersault and failure to faithfully implement budget of universities. The reckless action of arbitrary deduction from February salary caused many household financial embarrassment. The union demands official apology from government and university of Ibadan management. Nigerians are having distrust in the government.”
Omole said that while ASUU is not aversed to the fight against corruption, the government must not institutionalise corruption by further making life difficult for the masses who are further impoverished by anti-people and anti-masses policies being forced down the throat of Nigerians.
He hinted that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union will meet within the week to consider the resolutions of the University of Ibadan chapter to proceed on strike owing to unpaid promotion arrears and postgraduate supervision since 2011, and illegal pension deductions by the university of Ibadan management.
