Gbenro Adesina
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday March 31, 2020 kicked off sensitisation campaign on Covid-19.
The campaign took-off at University of Ibadan (UI), where the union educated the public on how to get rid of the deadly virus.
Launching the campaign, the National President of the Union, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi noted that the federal government needed to give the pandemic better attention just like the other civilised nations of the world.
The union knocked the federal government over its insensitivity towards healthcare, education, good governance and welfare of the masses.
Ogunyemi, who spoke through the Ibadan Zonal Chairman of the Union, Professor Ade Adejumo noted that the inability to effectively manage and control the covid-19 in Nigeria was as a result of government’s insensibility to vital sectors including education and public good.
The ASUU scribe regretted that education and health sectors in Nigeria are in a state of comatose and urged Nigerians to keep safe knowing fully that the pandemic does not respect anybody irrespective of their status.
Ogunyemi pointed out that the union did not make any mistake for rejecting IPPIS stressing that the fears and inconsistency of the platform has been confirmed.
He said, “With the benefit of hindsight, ASUU has no regrets for rejecting IPPIS. Apart from its erosion of University Autonomy, our worst fears about the platform have been confirmed. The technical issues we raised about possible distortion, manipulation and amputation of salaries and allowances fully came to light with the forceful application of IPPIS to the payroll system in the universities in February 2020”.
Also speaking, the Chairma of ASUU, University of Ibadan, Professor Ayo Akinwale said the hand sanitisers were exclusively produced by the union making use of the experts among the members and devoid of any funding from any government or non-government organisation.
In his brief remarks, the Chairma of ASUU, University of Ibadan, Professor Ayo Akinwale urged the federal government to put more efforts into the total eradication of coronavirus.
Akinwale said, “It is good that government is promoting social distance approach to reduce contact and movement but what we now need is to address infrastructural gap in health care delivery. There is urgent need to address disease spread at community level. State government must disinfect food market places where people will still be gathering to buy food”.
The Chairman of University of Ilorin, ASUU, Professor Moyo Ajao also urged the government to stop paying lip service to health, education and good governance in Nigeria.
