ASUU chair slams Buhari over $800mn loan request

National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has described the $800million loan request of President Mohammadu Buhari from the Senate as misplaced priority.

He said the request was clear demonstration of less importance Buhari-led administration attached to education.

Osodeke spoke on Thursday at maiden Alumni Home-Coming, Award Presentation Ceremony and launch of a N100 Million Ultra Modern Virtual Classroom by Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe

Buhari on Wednesday wrote to the Senate, asking it to approve a new loan request of $800million to be utilized to scale up the National Social Safety Net Programme to be sourced from the World Bank.

But the ASUU chair said the amount of money that led to the union’s 8-months old strike was a far cry to the loan being requested by the President.

According to him, “We’re in a country the system doesn’t bother about the education of its citizens. Just yesterday, a president who have 18 days to leave office, sent a paper to senate to allow him borrow $800million which is equivalent to #600billions.

“Meanwhile, the reason we were on strike for 8 months is because we’re asking for less than N200billion. Yet, you can take #600billion to give #5000 to families. What can #5000 do to families? Why not invest that to educational institutions to ensure quality and standard education?”

While commended the cordial relationship between the faculty and the alumni of the institution, Osodeke attributed it to the way members were treated during their academic sojourn, urging them to keep it up.