The Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi, has denied ever saying that university education is not everybody.

MAIDAWAAREWA reported that Umahi said university education is not for everybody. He spoke against the backdrop of the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities, ASUU, at the nation’s varsities.

He said he believed in education “I never said that university education is not for everybody. I will not say so because I believe so much in education, which is why we prioritise education. I built the most sophisticated and best medical university you can find anywhere in west Africa. It is because I believe in it.

‘‘I have renovated and built a lot of secondary and primary schools. I believe in the quality education of our people. I never said university education is not for everybody. As a matter of fact, university education should be for everybody.”

Umahi also added that vocational and secondary school education should be compulsory for every Nigerian.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has carpeted the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for extending its strike indefinitely.

The students’ body accused the university teachers of embarking on a mission to crumple the nation’s university education system and systematically promote private universities where many of them have their children.

In a statement yesterday, NANS President Adedayo Sunday Asefon said: “We have taken the time to review the decision of ASUU to declare an indefinite strike after the ongoing six-month strike. We consider the decision not only unpatriotic, unnecessary but wicked and definitely not in the interest of our nation or the tertiary education system in Nigeria.

“Such a decision was easy for ASUU because many of their leaders do not have their wards in public universities and still keep employment at various private universities around the country. As such, they are not affected by their attempt to collapse the sector for their selfish and inconsiderate gains.

“ASUU had succeeded, initially, to masquerade their strike as an action in the interest of the tertiary education system in Nigeria and in the interest of the teeming Nigerian students.

“But events of recent weeks have made it abundantly clear that ASUU has an ulterior motive, which is to collapse university education system in Nigeria and systematically promote private universities where many of them have their children, stakes and perhaps where they receive payment for the job of collapsing public universities in Nigeria

“We, therefore, call on the Federal Government to investigate the leadership of ASUU with the aim of unraveling their motivation for their insistence on collapsing the public university system in Nigeria.”

But the Chairman of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) chapter of ASUU, Dr. Ray Chikogu, has said there would be no going back on the comprehensive, total and indefinite strike by the union.

“We, therefore, call on the Federal Government to investigate the leadership of ASUU with the aim of unraveling their motivation for their insistence on collapsing the public university system in Nigeria.”

But the Chairman of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) chapter of ASUU, Dr. Ray Chikogu, has said there would be no going back on the comprehensive, total and indefinite strike by the union.

In a statement yesterday in Benin, the Edo State capital, Chikogu said: “We urge the general public to disregard the laughable piece of deliberate misinformation and state unequivocally that ASUU UNIBEN is irrevocably committed to executing the current strike to its logical conclusion or until such a time that the National Executive Council (NEC) of our union deems it fit to direct otherwise.

“The branch is more than aware that the intelligentsia has a moral obligation to rescue public tertiary education from the grips of retrogressive forces in the corridors of power who insist on imposing forced labour, paying slave wages, and pricing access to quality education out of the reach of the ordinary Nigerian child.”

Also, Nasarawa State University in Keffi will soon resume academic activities, Governor Abdullahi Sule has said.

The governor said his administration had agreed to pay the salaries of the university’s workers, which he said was one of the key demands of ASUU.

Sule announced this while addressing members of the State Executive Council (Exco) at their fifth meeting at the Government House yesterday in Lafia, the state capital.

The governor said the management of the university as well as the non-teaching unions, namely the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), had agreed to resume work.

Also, Vice Chancellor of Osun State University (UniOsun) , Prof. Professor Clement Adebooye, has said the varsity would not overshoot its admission quota, despite the pressure mounted on it by admissions seekers due to the ongoing ASUU strike.

Adebooye, who addressed reporters yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, said: “There is pressure on us over the numbers of candidates applying for our school because of the ongoing ASUU strike. Despite the pressure, we will not overshoot our quota. We have that reputation that we don’t break the law. We will not go beyond our capacity.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised on how to resolve the prolonged strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Buhari was urged to sell eight jets in his presidential fleet and use the proceeds to meet the demands of ASUU.

This suggestion was made by a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, in a series of tweets.

Omokri pointed out that the Nigerian presidential fleet was worth over $200 million, while ASUU demanded less than $100 million.

He faulted the fact that the presidential fleet has about 10 jets to serve one president.

According to Omokri: “How much is ASUU asking for? Less than $100 million to fund universities. Buhari has 10 Presidential jets worth over $200 million.

“Why not sell eight and use the money for ASUU? The British PM does not have an official jet. These are the kinds of things Atiku would do!

“Nigeria has no national airline to serve 210 million people. But we have 10 Presidential jets to serve 1 President. No be juju be that?

“That is why ASUU is adamant. Money is not our problem. Our issue is how we spend the little money we have! Atiku will change that!”

ASUU had been on strike since February 2022 over the government’s refusal to meet a 2019 agreement.

Part of the face-off is due to the government’s insistence on using IPPIS against UTAS to pay lecturers.

Meanwhile, ASUU had declared an indefinite strike following a breakdown of negotiations with the government.