The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday lambasted Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi for saying that Nigerian university professors earn same salary of N500, 000 as state governors or even more.
The union stated that the utterance had shown the mental state of those in the current government of President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fayemi had on Monday criticised the decision of ASUU to embark on strike, insisting that tertiary institutions in the country had fared better under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Fayemi said this in Paris at the end of the President’s interactive session with Nigerians living in France.
He said; “If you talk about tertiary education, ASUU is on strike, but you ask yourself, why is ASUU on strike. ASUU claimed that it is on strike because it wants improvement in the fortunes of education in Nigeria and that government has not lived up to expectations.
“I made 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.
“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.
Firing back, ASUU Chairman in University of Ibadan, Dr. Deji Omole said education budget before President Buhari took over in 2015 was above 10 per cent but was worsened by retrogressive allocation that took 2018 education budget to six per cent.
He noted that a newly promoted professor in the Nigerian Universities earns below N400, 000 and will only be able to receive N500, 000 monthly after ten years of becoming a professor, adding that this included all allowances.
ASUU said it would be proud if President Buhari during the many presidential trips abroad attracts any foreign scholar with the ‘poverty wages’ he pays Nigerian lecturers.
“It is sad that someone, who 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 has been the trademark 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 drains 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 ask him why he failed to pick up the appointment offered him as an associate lecturer by University of Ibadan Senate? ASUU has not made monetary issue the main issue 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 party men who are not discerning,” ASUU said.
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