The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Calabar, UNICAL, branch, has accused the federal government of abysmal failure in ensuring a conducive environment for those in the academic sector.
Dr Edor J. Edor, the ASUU Chairman of UniCal said the statement of the Nigerian government regarding schools resuming on January 18, 2021, was an indication of government’s failure.
Recall that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu had said government was reviewing the January 18 resumption date.
Adamu had said the resumption date was under review due to the spike in the figures of COVID-19 cases across the country.
However, Edor in a chat with Newsmen said: ‘Having regards to the absymal and shameful failure of the federal government to put in place infrastructure of public universities in other to make them conducive for learning and teaching, the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Monday said resumption is under review.’
‘This is a clear admission of federal government’s failure to do the needful in public universities.’
‘If we have condusive lecture theatres, conducive hostels, conducive offices and infrastructure, if they have possible water, have ordinary taps as one of the COVID-19 protocols is saying that wash your hand frequently with soap under running water before sanitising then why will the federal government be shifting resumption of schools.’
‘They know that those things are not in place, so it will be unsafe for students, academic and non academic staff to return back to school in the face of the spike of the new and resilient variance of the COVID-29 virus.’
‘This should send a signal to members of the forth estate of the realm, to parents, to Nigerians that what ASUU has been drumming by asking federal government to inject finances into the revitalisation of universities, COVID-19 has come to lay it bear.’
‘We are now confronted face-to-face with the fact of the depth of poverty and pluacity of infrastructure in public universities.’
‘Of course, ASUU has suspended strike so right now we have picked up our tool which we downed on March 23, 2020 and we are ready to work but federal government is saying we should hold on, we can’t go back to work because it’s risky.’
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK