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.
He disclosed that this was though government had resumed talks with the Union and, against its earlier posture, 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.
It will be recalled that ASUU had 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.
Prof. Akinwole, while participating on “Ojukoro”, a programme on Oluyole 98.5 FM, Ile Akede, Ibadan, stated that the Union had been justified for rejecting the IPPIS, not only because it was alien to the university system, but its use to defraud Nigeria.
He noted that if the suspended Accountant General of the Federation could allegedly divert 170 billion through the software, it showed that more frauds were endemic in the office of the AGF.
Unfortunately, Professor Akinwole stated, close to the annual amount that would have been used for the revitalization of close to 100 public universities annually had 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 and exposed, with 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 N220 billion but now about N170 billion 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,” he said.
The ASUU Comrade stated further that if Nigerian leaders were reflective, they would discover that they had been most unfair to the citizens, and had 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 had yet to have those who would 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 would give children of the masses a future in Nigeria.
