''Jonathan's Government Is Shameless And Has No Honor''

Former national Chairman of ASUU, Prof. Festus Iyayi, has described the federal government as “shameless and has no honor,” over failure to honor its side of the agreement they both entered into in 2009. Prof. Iyayi stated this Thursday during a protest staged in Benin by UNIBEN chapter of ASUU, to sensitize citizens of the State of the decay in the education sector. 

He took a swipe at the chairman of the federal government negotiating team and Governor of Benue state, Mr. Gabriel Suswan whom he claimed has turned himself into contractor, saying, “Even Suswan had said he would personally build and supervise the hostels at an outrageous rate from the proceeds of the proposed N100 billion.”

Iyayi wondered why President Goodluck Jonathan would chair the commissioning and fund raising for a private tertiary institution when public universities have been on strike for four months, saying, “this government is shameless and has no honor.”

Also speaking, Chairman of University of Benin (UNIBEN), ASUU, Dr. Anthony Monye-Emina, described claims by the federal government that it has given N100 billion to ASUU towards the revamping the education sector as deceitful and misleading.

He described the government’s claim as “offensive propaganda.”

Monye-Emina explained that the federal government released only N30 billion for the payment of allowances of lecturers and other workers of universities.

“This so called allowance is not our priority, what is utmost concern to us is the funding of education; vis-à-vis, infrastructure, science laboratory, workshop and others,” Monye-Emina said, adding that the alleged N100 billion was only approved on paper.

“We are not making fresh demand. The 2009 agreement stated N1.6tr to cater for education and this ought to be provided at the rate of N400 billion within a period of 4 years.

“And government keep saying no money to fund education; yet they bailed out banks, aviation and even Nollywood,” he stated.

The university lecturers have been on strike since July 1 to press home their 2009 agreement with the federal government.