Again, FG begs ASUU to end strike

FROM PAUL ORUDE BAUCHI
The Federal Government, through Vice President Namadi Sambo, yet again appealed to the Academy Staff Union of Universities ASUU to end its four-month old strike in the interest of the students and the country. Sambo made the appeal yesterday, during the commissioning of Bauchi State University at Gadau in the northern zone of the state.
He urged the striking lecturers to come to terms with the current reality. Recall that university lecturers have been on strike since July 1 this year with the different negotiating teams failing to broker peace between the union and the Federal Government. The lecturers have remained adamant in spite of pleas by parents, stakeholders, insisting that its action is informed by the need to save university education from total
collapse The Vice President, who is the Chairman of the Federal Government team negotiating with ASUU said on the occasion, “ASUU wants the Federal Government to shift its positions. We have already done that. It is now the turn of ASUU to shift its position and call off the strike in order to save the education sector from deteriorating.
Sambo said that Federal Government had intervened in the funding of universities  through TETFUND which is an indication that government believes its transformation agenda can only be realised through sound education. He disclosed that about N2.2 billion has been approved for the Bauchi State University as special intervention fund by the Federal Government.
He pledged Federal Government’s continued support and partnership with Bauchi State on education which is the thrust of President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda saying that no nation would grow without education.
“We will continue to provide education by providing conducive teaching and learning environment to all the people.
Sambo said the present administration has embarked on total rehabilitation of railway tracks, development of irrigation farming and training of youths on ICT for wealth- creation and improvement of the people’s economy.
Speaking, Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda said that the idea of establishing a state university was conceived by the immediate past administration but the implementation was carried out by his administration He said the university opened on September 23, 2011 following approval by the National University Commission (NUC). According to him, the state contributed two per cent of state’s statutory allocation while the local government areas contributed five per cent for the running of the university.
Yuguda said that so far, N16.5b has been spent on construction of hostels, library, road networks and blocks of classrooms. While commending the Federal Government for its intervention in the education sector, Yuguda appealed to government to include Bauchi in the supply of textbooks by Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.