Private Varsity: ASUU Chides Aisha Buhari

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Mrs Aisha Buhari…gets ASUU’s knock

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has slammed Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, over her planned moves to establish a private university named after her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari

In criticizing the proposal, ASUU said the move is not only self-serving, but obviously negating and detrimental to the development of existing public universities across the country.

According the Universities’ lecturers, promoting such plan at a time when public varsity education is seriously suffering neglect by the governments, clearly demonstrates the Presidency’s loatheness in funding public universities.

They urged the President and his wife to be circumspect in pursuing the university project, noting that though still in the planning stage, the move strongly confirms the reason budgetary allocation to education has continued to dwindle under Buhari’s watch since the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over power on May 29, 2015.

ASUU spoke through the University of Ibadan (UI) Branch Chairman, Professor Deji Omole and former National Treasurer, Professor Ademola Aremu, in a chat with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital

Prof Omole said, “When I also heard about the proposed private university to be named after Mr President, I just looked at it as a joke taken too far. If we have a president in a country that has simply refused to fund public education and all we get from the family of the first lady is to establish a private university in collaboration with some foreigners.

“To me, I think, it is a disaster for this country and for a sitting president. The implication is that Nigerians should know that this leadership does not believe in publicly funded education”.

He called on Nigerians to support the struggle for the government to take education as a core investment upon which this country will be liberated, stressing that; “It is not the children of the rich that will solve the problems of Nigeria but the children of the poor and the tool they need is quality education.”

On his part, Professor Aremu, said; “I don’t think that she is serious. We already have a proliferation of universities and they are not taken care of. Since they are policymakers, they will now formulate policies that will run public universities aground for their interest to thrive. I thought we have actually left that era. I could remember that Obasanjo established Bells and we condemned it. Atiku established his own as former Vice President.

“If you have a private interest, you should not hold public office. If you have interest in anything private thing, I think it is proper to actually leave the public space for those who are eager to serve the masses.”

“How many people can afford the existing private universities in the country? If you want to help educate, then increase the capacity of the existing ones. When you are holding a public office, don’t establish a private concern. She should wait until Buhari is completely out of office before thinking of bringing a private university in whatever name,” the varsity Don said.

At a recent Town Hall meeting in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, had hinted about establishing a private university that would be named after her husband, President Buhari in partnership with some foreigners.

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