The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is not impressed by N20 billion released by the Federal Government to fund the university system on Monday.

Its members say the money should have been released last October and by now the union and the government ought to be renegotiating the FGN-ASUU 2009 agreement.

The Lagos Zone of the Union on Tuesday described the release of the funds as blackmail.

At a press briefing at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Tuesday, Zonal Coordinator, Prof Olusiji Sowande, also called on the government to disband the Dr Wale Babalakin-led renegotiation committee with a less ‘fixated’ leader.

Sowande said the money was part of the N1.3 trillion both parties agreed should be invested in upgrading facilities in public universities within six years. He, however, expressed disappointment that the amount disbursed was not up to N220 billion since 2013.

“Let me make it clear that government has never released any money to our union. The manner in which the announcement was made was intended to blackmail ASUU.

“Government releases are usually made to the benefiting universities. The purported release of N20 billion is coming after one year as against one month agreed in the MoA of 2017. Our expectation is that by now, government should have offset more than N220 billion to the Nigerian public Universities as contained in the 2013 MoU for upgrade of facilities and infrastructural development,” he said.

Sowande also expressed disappointment that the government led the union on after suspending its strike last September with the impression that it would renegotiate the agreement immediately.

Sowande warned that the Union’s patience was wearing thin and called on well-meaning Nigerians to urge the government to fulfil its promises or else the union would down tools.

•Excerpted from The Nation report

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