Governor Fayemi is not adequately funding Ekiti State University – ASUU

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ekiti State University (EKSU) chapter have accused the state government of underfunding the institution, which they said, might lead to an imminent collapse of the institution.

The union also warned that it would resist any attempt by the state government to impose any outrageous tax on its members, declaring that the plan of the state government to deduct personal income tax payable by ASUU members from the institution’s monthly subvention was illegal.

The union disclosed that the state government still release the old monthly subvention of N210 million to a university with a monthly wage bill of N400 million which does not meet the needs of an institution with sights on attaining excellent status.

Addressing a press conference in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, ASUU’s Chairman, Dr. Adeleke Ayan, blamed Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration for not increasing the monthly subvention to the university from what it used to be before the merging of other two universities with EKSU.

Furthermore, Ayan, advised the Governor to increase the subvention to the institution to be able to meet its target of transforming the institution into an excellent university.

He said: “On the day of inauguration, Governor Kayode Fayemi reviewed the school fees of all students, irrespective of their courses to N50,000; a statement that should have been backed with additional funding for the university. This failure has plunged the university into a state of financial crisis.”

“At the instance of the hurriedly -put-together 2011 Education Summit, the song in town was that Ekiti is too poor to fund three universities and he was advised to merge UNAD, USTI and TUNEDIK into one.

“So with what the Governor is doing now, we make bold to say publicly that Fayemi has done nothing for the University. Pathetically, from the visible climate, it seems that what the Governor is saying is that Ekiti is too poor to maintain a University,” he stated.

However, Ekiti state Commissioner for Information, Hon Funminiyi Afuye debunked the allegations by ASUU, claiming that the present government had built more structures for a better learning environment than any administration in the state.

Furthermore, Afuye explained that the issue of tax was a matter of law, which could not have been abused by any government.

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