Gombe Governor Don Offer ASUU N947 Million To Avoid Strike
Di image resemble empty classroom, wey dey illustrate how ASUU strike fit affect students if no solution dey.
Di governor of Gombe state, Inuwa Yahaya, don waka well to see say di wahala wey dey brekete between im administration and di Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) no go turn to strike matter. Na im make oga Yahaya sharply offer ASUU N947 million, say make dem hold body first while im dey promise to see to all dia demands by Monday.
Yahaya bin meet with ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) panel for Gombe, and na Professor Ibrahim Njodi represent am for di meeting. Di governor tell ASUU leaders say dem go share di N947 million wey him don drop by September 2nd, plus im go handle all dia demands, including di Earned Academic Allowance. Na im he say make ASUU relax, say once di council meet by Monday, dem go arrange everything, and if im no keep im promise, ASUU fit continue wit dia strike plans.
But wetin cause di wahala wey Gombe state gov wan dodge? ASUU Gombe branch bin dey vex say goment neva fulfill dia 2009 agreement, wey dey on top welfare, funding, and some other allowances. Since 2023, ASUU and di federal goment don dey chook head together inside closed-door meetings to try fix di mata, but di whole thing no clear as goment neva meet dia 15% budget allocation demand for education. Na im ASUU dey plan to knack fresh strike, but oga Yahaya don run block am wit N947 million for now.
Yahaya beg ASUU say make dem no go strike. “We go settle dis mata sharply, make una no vex. We dey do everything to support education. As soon as our council meet by Monday, I go personally ensure say everything dey sorted. If nothing happen after then, una fit continue una plans,” na wetin Yahaya talk. Im say make dem no rush enter strike matter, say goment dey committed to fix things for university people.
Dis no be di first time wey ASUU dey shout for goment head. Over di years, we don see dis union go on strike plenty times over agreements wey goment fail to deliver. From 2009 reach now, ASUU don do waka plenty times: four months for 2009, five months for 2010, 59 days for 2011, six months for 2013, and even eight months for 2022. Dem strike dey affect university students well well, as e dey keep dem for house instead of class. Even dat time wey dem suspend dia strike for October 2022, e be say na because of court order, but di mata neva settle finish.
No be only ASUU dey shout; other union bodies like SSANU and NASU sef don dey shout because goment no dey respect agreements wey dem sign. ASUU dey demand make goment allocate 15% of di national budget to education, increase retirement age for lecturers to 70 years, and make university funding better. But as e dey so, even wit new budgets and student loan funds wey goment don introduce, ASUU still dey vex, say all dis na eye service, say na di same old wahala wey dem dey face.
For di meantime, President Bola Tinubu administration don try small to upgrade di budget for education for 2024, and di Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, say dem dey work hard to fix dis tori. “Di president dey very serious about dis education mata. We dey try solve all di problems so students no go suffer strike again,” na so Mamman tok. E say Tinubu dey passionate about education and no wan make students dey miss school because of strike.
In di middle of all dis wahala, plenty people dey wonder if di fresh strike go happen or if di N947 million wey Gombe gov don offer go really hold ASUU down. Di answer dey hang as everybody dey wait Monday council meeting wey di governor promise. If di goment no fit meet dia demands, di whole tori fit turn drama again.
As di tori be so, na wait and see game. ASUU dey look goment eye, goment dey look ASUU eye. Who go blink first, na im we go know. Di students, on di other hand, dey pray make dis wahala no disrupt dia academic calendar again. As e be, nobody sabi if dis 2009 agreement go ever get final solution.
