THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, said the union is not pleased with the percentage allocated to education in the 2019 budget describing it as the worst in recent past.
The union said it felt betrayed by the Federal Government as regards the fulfilment of mutual agreements reached by both parties before its strike was suspended in February 2019.
ASUU stated that the government is yet to pay the N25 billion Earned Academic Allowances it agreed to pay before the suspension of the strike in February this year.
In a statement by its Chairman ASUU, UI, Professor Deji Omole said: “We are not happy about 2019 budgetary allocation to education.
They presented this budget while we were on strike. We had assumed that a government that promised change would increase the budgetary allocation to education while the university staffs are on strike.
The statement reads: “However, we realized that the budget was further cut down in terms of percentage allocated to education.
This is about the worst in recent past. You can know that when you have such an attitude from people in government who feel that they can achieve much without education, the future of that country is bleak.
“The N20 billion for revatilisation has been sent to the universities. The issue of renegotiation has started. The issue of the payment of Earned Academic Allowances has not been done months after suspending the strike.
“But, in a country where everything has to stop for elections, we assume government will do the needful and put issues in the MOA behind us by fully implementing it now that elections are over.”
(Vanguard)