ASUU Ends NEC Meeting At IMSU

TEACHERS from various universities, under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ended their National Executive Council (NEC), meeting at the Imo State University, Owerri, on Tuesday, with the call to the Federal and state governments to perform their duties of funding universities and depend less on the provision of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

In a statement signed by the union’s president, Dr. Nasir F. Isa, a copy of which was made available to The Guardian, ASUU condemns the unhealthy moves by state governments to abandon the responsibility of funding their universities.

“We note with displeasure that most of these universities rely mainly on intervention grants from TETFUND and the new Needs Assessment Special Fund for physical structures and supplies, while the presence or commitment of state governments is almost zero. These developments are unacceptable to our union.”

The statement called for resistance to alleged abandonment of funding of public universities, adding that the arrangement of TETFund could be traced to the FGN/ASUU Negotiation of 1992 and agreement reached.

In the quest to ensure that ‘teaching, research and services’ go on in the university system, the union warned against some alleged unacceptable policies carried by some vice chancellors and chairmen, Governing Board of some universities, alien to the university system, calling for stop to such.