ASUU Blames FG Over Boko Haram

The Federal Government has been criticised by the Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its inability to address the insecurity
and other criminal vices in the country, especially activities of members of
the Islamic sect, Boko Haram in Northern part of the country.

Addressing newsmen shortly at the end of their National
Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka,
(UNN), the association’s President, Dr. Nasir F. Isa along side the immediate
past president, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, stated that the insecurity problems
across the nation was an expression of people’s anger over high level injustice
against the masses, especially hunger, deprivations and failure of government
to tackle corruption.

He, however, challenged all tiers of government in Nigeria
to make security and welfare of the masses a priority, regretting that in spite
of the high budgetary allocation on security, bombings, kidnappings, armed
robbery had become a daily occurrence.

ASUU also regretted that the spiral increase in the prices
of essential commodities, low standard of leaving, joblessness, had pushed many
citizens into criminal activities.

According to them, “there are also reports of spiral
inflation and phenomenal increase in commodity prices leading to food
insecurity and reduction in standard of living across the country. Joblessness,
homelessness, and decreasing access to education and other indices of
underdevelopment now characterize our national life”, Isa added.

He further expressed worry that crime and corruption were
assuming new dimension in the country on a daily basis, pointing out that a
frightening dimension of insecurity today is the increasing phenomenon of crude
oil theft stressing that about 50 percent of Nigeria’s total production “is
pilfered”.

The Academic body, however, disagreed with those advocating
for a Sovereign National Conference, reasoning that what the nation needed now
was a change of attitude on the part of its leaders.

Hear him: “Sovereign National Conference has never worked
anywhere, the recent example is that of Sudan, even though the South Sudan has
gained independence, peace has not returned in that place. So, the fundamental
issues of corruption and looting of public funds should be addressed as a matter
of urgency.

“There is high level of injustice in the country, a
situation where somebody who steals one thousand (N1,000) is sentenced to one
year imprisonment and then a politician steals billions of naira and through
plea bargaining, he is sentenced to six months imprisonment is not acceptable
to the people. People are noting these injustices in the land and they express
their disaffection in negative ways”.

He,  challenged the
federal government on the full implementation of the 2012 budget, stressing
that the politicization of the budget, would not augur well for the country.

The union condemned the unnecessary politicization of the
budget implementation and call on the Federal Executive Council and National
Assembly to their acts together and
enhance the economic well-being of the citizenry.

The association, also picked holes on the renaming of
universities in the country as well as visit of the Independent Corrupt
Practices Commission, (ICPC) to the University of Nigeria and other
universities in the country, describing it as illegal.