The Academic Staff Union of Universities has expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the nation and called on the federal and state governments to take concrete actions to improve the living conditions of the masses in the new year.

In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, ASUU’s national president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, highlighted the union’s concerns, particularly in the education sector.

Prof Osodeke expressed disappointment with the lack of substantial progress from the government in the last eight and a half years, emphasizing the need for tangible measures rather than mere promises.

He noted that issues such as poor infrastructure, inadequate remuneration, welfare, laboratory facilities, and the ‘Japa’ syndrome persist, hindering the sector’s advancement.

He cited the neglect of available funds at the Universal Basic Education Commission stating, “There are so many funds with the Universal Basic Education Commission which belong to various state governments, which they are not accessing because they refused to provide their counterpart funds to claim what is due to them.”

Prof Osodeke expressed concern that some states are neglecting public schools, allowing private institutions to flourish, a trend he believes is detrimental to the progress of education.

The ASUU president stressed the union’s commitment to preventing the demise of public universities, emphasizing that allowing such institutions to deteriorate would make university education unaffordable for the children of the less privileged.

He criticized the low budgetary allocations to the education sector, pointing out that only a few states, namely Oyo, Abia, and Enugu, have shown commitment by allocating a reasonable percentage of their 2024 annual budgets to education.

Osodeke called for a holistic examination of the education sector by the government at all levels in the new year.

He urged authorities to address key concerns and bring about meaningful and positive changes, emphasizing the importance of quality education in fostering positive transformations in the lives of citizens and the nation as a whole.