Amid the ongoing industrial action, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised serious concerns over the exodus of lecturers from universities in the country for greener pastures abroad.
The union blamed the development on the Federal Government’s alleged poor treatment of its members which it pointed out had forced many to venture into other sources of livelihood.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, the National President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, lamented that at the moment, many lecturers had resorted to farming and other economic activities, while a large number had left the country.
Osodeke made this knwon in a reaction to the government’s refusal to meet some of their demands, including the payment of seven months’ backlog of salaries accrued during the strike.
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Africa Today News, New York reports that the union had on February 14, 2022 embarked on strikes which has now totalled 578 days under the Muhammadu Buhari governement.
In 2017, the union went on strike for 30 days; in 2018, the lecturers shunned work for 90 days while in 2020, the public universities were shut down for 270 days.
ASUU accused the government of failing to release the revitalisation funds for universities; failure to deploy the University Transparency Accountability System for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers.
ASUU had also demanded the release of earned allowances for its members; release of the whitepaper report of visitation panels to universities and renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/2009 agreement.
Speaking on the mass exile of lecturers from the university system, Osodeke stated, ‘So many lecturers are leaving to engage in farming and others; lecturers are tired of the treatment they’re receiving from the government and because of this, they are looking for alternatives. So many more will leave even after the strike too.
‘’I pity the country; Nigeria will be the loser for it. Instead of coming to the table; look at how they will solve the issue, rather, they believe in punishing lecturers. It’s so sad. Your lecturers went on strike, you believe they will become hungry and come back to beg. Many lecturers will also leave to venture into other areas; some are also looking at becoming self-employed.’
The ASUU Chairman, University of Lagos branch, Dr Dele Ashiru, revealed that more than 70 per cent of the brightest brains in academia had left the country, adding that the government had been so disrespectful and insensitive to the scholars.