The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has submitted that Nigeria’s education system is in life support and may soon die if caution is not applied.
The Chairperson of ASUU, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Dr. Christopher Echereobia, made the submission at a tripartite event held by the union at the institution, Thursday.
The three-in-one event had the valedictory congress of the union, recognition of retirees and award of scholarship to indigent and brilliant students of the university.
Echereobia said ASUU has remained the lifeline of the education system in the country, describing the union as a selfless one fighting for a better tertiary education in the country.
“Education system in Nigeria is in life support Machine, the life support is ASUU, if you remove ASUU, it will collapse; ASUU is a selfless union fighting for infrastructure and welfare of members and students”, he stated.
He noted that the union decided to honour the retirees from 2010 – 2021 in recognition of their diligent service to the institution, while the award of scholarship to nine students was to encourage them to work harder.
Echereobia urged the incoming leadership of the union never to joke with the welfare of staff and students.
One of the retirees, Prof. Adive Udedibie, in a lecture, frowned that extortion of students has crept into the university and called for it to be stopped.
He urged staff to take studies and research seriously in order to succeed.
Udedibie enjoined the younger lecturers to endeavour to learn from the senior ones and to save for their retirement.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Nnenna Otti pointed out that some lecturers abandon teaching which she described as their primary responsibility, for union matters.
Otti maintained that the lecturers are first academics before being members of ASUU and should therefore, take teaching seriously.
She pledged commitment to the welfare of the staff and retirees.
