From Fred Itua and Magnus Eze, Abuja
The national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, slammed governors Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, over the setting up of new state-owned universities.
National President of the union, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, who briefed newsmen in Abuja, described the two governors as hypocrites, adding that it was wrong to open more universities, while existing ones were not getting the needed funding. The ASUU scribe who challenged journalists to investigate how governors spend security votes of the state, said the establishment of universities were not done arbitrarily as though they were constituency projects. The ASUU president noted: “Many state governors are hypocrites. They have turned establishment of universities to constituency projects. In Ondo State, the governor has not funded the state university, but he has gone ahead to establish another state-owned university.
“Oshiomhole has done the same thing in Edo State. He has not done anything at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, yet he has gone ahead to establish another university in his own village. Ask him the last time he released money to Ambrose Alli University or built a structure there. The governors are struggling to be visitors to two or more universities in their states.”
He said like the Federal Government, many state governments had refused to implement the 2009 agreement in which they participated. In addition, he called on well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and make the state governors give priority attention to the quality of their universities to guarantee the future of Nigerian youths.
“Our union will not fail to defend the rights of citizens to the right of education guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution,” he added.