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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has slammed the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for saying that the salary of a university professor in the country earns the same or even more than him as a governor.
Fayemi, speaking in Paris during President Muhammadu Buhari’s interactive session with Nigerians living in France, had said ASUU cannot have all its demands met “when you have competing needs”.
He stated that the ongoing strike was unnecessary, adding that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had done more for education than any other government.
He said: “I make bold to say that no government has done as much as this government has done. Not just for ASUU, but for tertiary education in our country.
“Is it enough? Absolutely, it’s not going to be enough. We have to keep doing more. But ask yourself what was the average wage in the university system before. A university professor earn more than me as a governor. My salary as a governor is N500,000. Most university professors earn about the same amount if not more.
READ: Fayemi: Varsity professor earns more than me as governor, ASUU has no reason for strike
But in a swift reaction ASUU challenged Fayemi to publish the salary and allowances that he collects monthly.
The union, in a release signed by the Chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Deji Omole stressed that ASUU will not be distracted in her struggle for the revitalisation of public education by “political opportunists like Governor Fayemi.”
Omole noted that a newly promoted professor “in slave enclave called Nigerian Universities earns below N400, 000 and will only be able to receive N500, 000 monthly after ten years of becoming a professor and this includes all allowances.”
ASUU said it will be proud if President Buhari during the many presidential diaspora trips will be able to attract any foreign scholar with the poverty wages he pays Nigerian lecturers.
The statement reads: “It is sad that someone is living on the state resources with his families and countless aides with juicy salaries will not be circumspect in thought. Fake news and propaganda have been the trade mark of the ruling APC. Fayemi’s utterances revealed the mental state of those ruling us. We challenge him to publish what a university professor earns as salaries and allowances and what governors earn and allowances.
” If lecturers earn more than governors why did Fayemi run away? Fayemi should tell the world how much he spent on capital grants to EKSU during his first sojourn in office. EKSU as it is now is more of tetfund university which was a product of ASUU struggle. He should rather be grateful to ASUU for the regular bailout from tetfund. Fayemi is one of the brain drain the struggle is trying to address because if the university learning environment are conducive enough, Fayemi would have stayed in the academia rather than playing politics of destruction. Nigerians should asked him why he failed to pick up the appointment offered him by as an associate lecturer by university of Ibadan Senate.
” ASUU has not made monetary issue the main , but her members are entitled to allowances owed them since 2010. We are more concerned with a revitalised university that is adequately funded to attract foreign scholars. Fayemi should attract an international professor and offer to pay him $1500 per month and let us see how many of them he can bring to Nigeria. A person who bought nomination form for N22.5million to become governor and spend billions to campaign with his party listed among those who bought votes, Fayemi should tell lies to his partymen who are not discerning”, the union said.
Omole stated that Buhari’s education policy has brought disaster to education.
The union said education budget before President Buhari took over in 2015 was above 10 per cent but has now dropped to six per cent.