The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, AAUA, Friday stated that the Ondo State government has continued to exhibit a lack of willingness to fund the institution.

The lecturers, who had been on strike since August over unpaid salaries and arrears, disclosed that the institution has been suffering from severe and continuous neglect despite the call for urgent intervention.

The institution’s Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, had also threatened to embark on industrial action over a similar situation.

According to the Chairman of ASUU-AAUA, Boluwaji Oshodi, who addressed newsmen during a press briefing in Akure, despite meeting with government representatives, all agreements reached have been ignored.

Flanked by the other executive members of the union, Oshodi emphasised that one of the major challenges confronting the institution was the issue of inadequate funding.

The ASSU chairman pointed to the paltry monthly subvention and the non-release of capital grants, which he stressed are essential for the university’s development and day-to-day operations.

“As we speak, the Commissioner for Education, who was a former Vice Chancellor of AAUA (Prof. Igbekele Ajigbefun), has not made any effort to contact us as a union. Right now, we don’t know what he’s doing. For now, there is no contact between the union and the Commissioner for Education.

“As a union, we do not talk without facts; all these are facts that can be verified. Even my own office has been abandoned because it is leaking. So many materials were destroyed by rain.

“The capital grants are running into billions. If money has been appropriated and it has not been released, what should happen? Members of the Ondo State House of Assembly should do the needful. If the House appropriated money for years and the money was not received at the university, I think it is an issue for them as lawmakers to look inward to see what is actually wrong.

“If you go to our university today, all that you will see is TETFUND and NEEDS Assessment. 90 per cent of the buildings were built by TETFUND.

“This issue of having three universities is very pathetic. We have people in government who don’t really understand the importance of education. There is a difference between education and quality education. One of the major things that ASUU is against is the proliferation of universities, where universities are established anyhow.

“If you come to my university, we have dedicated staff; we work under unconducive conditions, but because of our calling as academics, we have been doing our best.”

Ondo govt exhibiting lack of willingness to fund AAUA – ASUU alleges