The National Liaison Officer of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Aminu Abdullahi Isyaku says the other academic unions have always applied a wrong and militarized form of approach in their demand for more educational fundings.
Isyaku, in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, also emphatically stated that the Federal government did not use them to settle scores or get back at ASUU.
“Yes, funding is important and other unions have been clamoring for funding all these years but their approach was wrong, it was a militarized approach, disrupting the system, closing down universities and grounding the system more. But CONUA is bringing a different approach to the discussions. Let’s engage more in particular with the national assembly, let’s lobby them and respect them.
“Government did not use CONUA to settle scores with ASUU. CONUA approached the Federal government for registration. The union was formed at Obafemi Awolowo University in early 2018 and then applied for recognition as a trade union to the Registrar of trade unions in the federal ministry of labour and employment.
“So, we followed the registration and in fact, when we applied, the federal government denied us and said we didn’t fulfill all the criteria. We continued until they gave us registration early this year. So, since 2018 till this year what has happened? If the Federal government wanted to use us immediately, why didn’t they grant us our registration in 2018? We fought for it.
We didn’t even know that we had qualified, if not because of the former minister of state labour and employment, Festus Keyamo, went on air to tell Nigerians that another group called CONUA has applied for registration and have fulfilled all the criteria but we just didn’t register them because we respect ASUU.
“The more, the merrier. Today, the Government and CONUA are vindicated by the court of law that the government did the right thing in registering other trade unions.” He said
Also in the interview, the former commissioner for education in Jigawa State, Rabiu Husuani Adamu Eshak, has asked the newly appointed minister of education to concentrate on the basic educational level, adding that the country will move at a faster pace if the basic education level is prioritized.
She also listed the outdated curriculum and teachers training as one of the issues of the educational system of the country.
She said “I believe that the curriculum, funding issues, Rural-Urban adjustments, are requisite priorities we need to set the basic education sector right in this country.
“Generally, I would say that by my own experience, I don’t believe the system has gotten better. To me, I think it’s getting worse, especially at the basic education level. I am a firm believer that this country will move forward faster if we prioritize the basic education sector.
“Without the basic skills, our future generations will not be able to sustain the development that is needed to make this country great. I know we can do it and I don’t believe we have done enough in terms of implementation.
“Funding is not only, you know, putting the money there. For instance, we know that there is a lot of money in UBEC that the states are not accessing. some of it has been accessed but been used for the wrong things.
“So, I think for funding, the UBEC funding structure itself, I’m talking now to the minister, should be looked at. I believe that if we review the funding structure on the lower level, we should be able to tackle the issue of teacher training, because that is really one of the grievous problems we have in the sector.
Chioma Kalu
Follow us on:
