The Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Ayo Akinwole has stated that Nigerian political elites are more interested in positioning themselves ahead of 2023 general elections rather than fixing the problems in the education sector of the country.
He disclosed that though government has resumed talks with the Union and against it earlier posture, has agreed to sit with the Union to collectively address the content of the draft renegotiated 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement which government team started with the Union in 2007 and was concluded in May, 2021.
Recall that ASUU has maintained that the federal government abandoned the draft agreement for nine months and because of that the Union distanced itself from any reconstituted federal government team to commence another renegotiation.
Ayoola Akinwole, while participating on “Ojukoro”, a program on Oluyole 98.5 FM, Ile Akede, Ibadan stated that the Union has been justified for rejecting the IPPIS not only because it was alien to the University system but because of its use to defraud Nigeria.
He noted that, if the suspended accountant General of the Federation could allegedly divert 170billion through the software, it shows that more frauds are endemic in the office of the Accountant General of the federation.
Unfortunately, Professor Akinwole stated that close to the annual amount that would have been used for the revitalization of close to 100 public universities annually has allegedly been diverted by one person in government.
While asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to ensure due diligence in the ongoing investigation, the ASUU official said the entire office of the Accountant General of the Federal stinks of frauds and forgeries and should be investigated, exposed and sanctions given appropriately.
“Our Union’s earlier cry about the fraud in IPPIS has been vindicated by the revelations coming out from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation. More need to be done. The agreed amount in the year 2013 to be injected yearly to give children of the masses a semblance of quality education is 220billion but now about 170 billion naira has been allegedly diverted through the same IPPIS by the man who has been marketing it for public universities. The fraud with IPPIS is killing. If EFCC does due diligence with their investigations, more will be revealed about those who moved monies here and there and drain the nation kickbacks inside the office of AGF.”
The ASUU Comrade stated that if Nigerian leaders are reflective they would discover that they have been most unfair to the citizens and have been programming Nigeria for failure and doomed future.
Akinwole said a country operating cashless policy and e-naira but whose political elites move billions of dollars out of the nation’s financial system to cripple the economy in order to induce delegates are not people who will take Nigeria out of the woods.
He advised parents to join the Union in getting their demands from the government noting that only a virile public education system will give children of the masses a future in Nigeria.
