The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) chapter, has decried the neglect of the university for the past seven years without appropriate funding by the state government.

The Chairman of AAUA ASUU, Dr Boluwaji Oshodi, said this during a telephone interview on Sunday in Akure.

Mr Oshodi explained that the Ondo State Government had neglected the university for the past seven years without appropriate funding.

He said, “If you get to AAUA campus today, you will be disappointed, even though it is a pioneer university of the state. Inadequate funding is the major problem in that university today.

“The normal thing is for the state government, which is the owner of the university, to make provisions for the institution and its staff. The access road to the university now is in a sorry state. The road to the place is an eyesore. What do you expect will be the state of the university if the access road is in a deplorable situation. It’s very disgusting and annoying. If you go to the university now, the state government has not done any capital project for the past seven years. No building constructed in the last seven years. If you get there now, you will start seeing TETFUND buildings. The lecture rooms are in a sorry state, the hostels, offices and others.”

According to the ASUU chairman, the university gets about N232 million as monthly subvention while the salaries alone will gulp N555 million.

He stated, “You can calculate the amount being added from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the  institution to be able to pay the salaries alone. We are not talking about other things the university caters for.

“Let me be factual and I’m not making any excuse for anybody because government is a continuum.

“The late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu scored zero in terms of tertiary education management because that administration reduced subvention of the university to a very funny amount.bIt has been bad but now terrible. The university has been in a coma for 10 years now because of inadequate funding.”

Mr Oshodi said ASUU members in the situation, had withdrawn their services since August 28 due to non-payment of two-month salaries.

He stated, “Many issues are wrong in the university. We have dedicated lecturers and staff in the university but inadequate funding is treating them badly.

“We are on strike since August 28 simply because of the non-payment of our salaries and there are still many other issues which we are going to address at the right time during our press conference holding soon. It’s now: give us our salaries so that we can survive. It’s an issue of survival now.”

The ASUU chairman stated that all the requests of the union to have a meeting with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State on the issues were not responded to.

Mr Oshodi vowed that the lecturers in the institution would truncate students resumption and the institution’s forthcoming convocation if their salaries were not paid.

“We have been patient and tolerant for long, but this time, we won’t be again. Our people have been pushed to the wall. We are not seeing any efforts that can signal that the state government is ready to do the right things. We are resolute. The last examination was conducted on empty stomach. There is no rift between us and the school’s management and we have good understanding with our students, they understand us.

“I doubt if there  is a university in Nigeria that has dedicated lecturers like that of AAUA,” he said.

All efforts to get the reaction of the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, were not successful as he did not pick several calls made to his mobile. 

(NAN)