As Nigeria joined the rest of the world in celebrating workers on May First, the National Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, has urged Nigerians to rise up and vote for only those politicians that are interested in the progress of the country.
Nigerian public universities have remained shut for upwards of four months, with the payment of salaries of some university workers abridged, since the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, embarked on nationwide strike.
Osodeke was reacting to reports of the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, obtaining the All Progressives Congress, APC, expression of interest and nomination forms worth N100 million.
Osodeke said security agents should have invited Nwajiuba for questioning on how he came about N100 million.
According to the ASUU Chairman: “In a normal clime, a minister should have been invited by security to show how he raised N100 million ($238,000) and if he had paid tax for such an amount. But we are in a country where anything goes; it sounds somehow that he can’t solve the problem in his ministry but wants to rule a country; that tells a lot.
“For us, it’s not about one person but the government; we should not personalize it. ASUU is on strike because the government could not meet its demands and not about an individual.”
On government not placing much importance on education, he said: “That’s what we have been saying all along. Have you seen any governor building primary or secondary schools lately? But they want to build a university to win elections and when they can’t fund it.
“Nwajuiba and co are just raising money for campaigns; it’s a very sad development for the country, and we expect all Nigerians to rise up during this election and vote for people who can run this country, people who live here and go to hospitals here; those are the kind of people we should be looking out for.
“Nigerians should rise up and elect people who believe in Nigeria and not people who come here to collect money and go abroad.”
