SSANU calls for sack of NUC boss

The Senior Staff Association of
Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has called
for the dismissal of the Executive
Secretary of the Nigerian University
Commission (NUC) over an alleged
mastermind of government’s decision to
withdraw funding of staff schools,
otherwise called demonstration schools
in the universities.
The National President of the
Association, Comrade Samson Ugwoke,
told a news conference in Abuja that
the NUC is conspiring with other
agencies of government to scrap the
staff schools.
Meanwhile, the NUC at an earlier news
conference said the Commission was
only carrying out instructions from the
Federal Government and urged SSANU to
direct its complaint to the appropriate
authorities.
According to NUC’s Director of
Information and Public Relations, Mr
Ibrahim Yakasai, the Commission was
only carrying out its duties, adding that
the said circular did not emanate from
the Commission.
Staff Schools are private enterprises
established by the universities to
primarily care for the basic academic
needs of university staff, which the
government has funded since their
establishment decades ago.
SSANU had last week threatened to
paralyse activities in universities, if the
decision to scrap Staff Schools and sack
the teachers was not reversed.
The Chairman of SSANU in Unilorin,
Adeleke Alfanla, made this threat at a
protest held at the University of Ilorin,
Kwara State.
The South-West branch of SSANU
wondered why agencies like the military
are allowed to operate primary and
secondary schools from their budget
while the universities would not be
allowed.
They called for the resignation of the
Executive Secretary of the Nigerian
Universities Commission (NUC),
Professor Julius Okoje, for being part
of the plot to sack the teachers.
University of Ilorin Primary School is
one of the 24 schools being operated by
Federal Universities across the country
and the school’s teachers joined in the
protest around the university premises
to express their anger.
They stated that an agreement had
been signed with the government six
years ago for the total funding of the
schools to be from the university’s
budget. They wondered how a circular
will now be issued categorising them as
ghost workers.
The SSANU Chairman, Adeleke Alfanla,
called on President Muhammadu Buhari
to intervene in the matter to guard
against collapse of the education
sector, warning that federal
universities will be grounded if the
decision is not changed.