The Academic Staff Union of Universities has advised Federal Government of Nigeria to slash N200 billion from the N4 trillion FG has budget to subsidise fuel for the year 2022.
President, Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, gave this advice why speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday morning. He decried how the government had addressed the issue of fuel subsidy with a whooping sum of N4trillion but pays deaf ear to the issues of Nigeria’s university education that is more important.
“It is always very funny, that the government who cannot raise N200billion to revamp all Nigeria universities annually, to world standards. The same government can raise N4trillion for fuel subsidies. Fuel subsidy and Nigerian education; which is more important to any country that wants to move forward?
“You can raise a budget to make N4trillion for subsidies a year, but you cannot raise N200billion to fund your education where you don’t have the infrastructure.”
Osodeke said he is not saying that the government should stop subsidising fuel but the government should remove only N200billion from the N4trillion budget to address the challenges of its members and revamp the Nigeria universities; and would still have a N3.8trillion to fund fuel subsidy.
“If you remove N200billion from N4trillion, to fund your universities, you still have N3.8trillion for fuel subsidy,” Osodeke said.
He further advised the government to get its priorities right.
“You can spend N228billion to feed children in primary or secondary schools. But you cannot raise this fund for your university; it is an issue of priority. That is the problem.”