By Rauf Oyewole
The Academic Union of Universities (ASUU) has vowed that it would not allow the Federal Government's plan to bring a UK university campus to the country.
The President of the Union, Professor Chris Piwuna said this in Bauchi on Thursday evening during a public lecture organised by the Sa'adu Zungur University branch of the union. Piwuna said that the President was in the United Kingdom for a state visit and “one of the agreements he signed was to bring Coventry University campus to Nigeria.
“These people are trying to re-colonise us. This Coventry University has about £58million deficit, they have about 43 percent reduction of African (students) coming to study. They are cutting costs, staff and all of that, amounting to about £100million in the next two years.
“They are coming to Nigeria to establish a university. They've stopped us from going to London because they denied us visas, they want our money but they are denying us the experience of travelling but they're coming here to take our money.
“ASUU is going to oppose that. This London agreement that was signed by the President, we are going to oppose it. Especially the aspects that has to do with education. They said they have placed moratorium on establishing university and they bringing English university. That will not stand, we are going to oppose it,” he said.
Piwuna commended the Vice Chancellor of the SAZU, Prof. Fatima Tahir for being one of the institutions to implement the new salary structure. “If you continue like; the day you will leave this office, we will carry you on our heads,” he said.
The Union's public lecture centred on academic responsibilities and entrepreneurship among university lecturers. Speakers were; Prof. Suleiman Abdullahi Karwai of the Department of Business Administration, Ahmadu Bello University and Dr. Abubakar Sadiq Usman, Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies, Gombe State University.
Prof. Karwai urged the lecturers to invest in their early career and acquire assets to cater for their families. “No lecturer should be poor. We have so many legitimate businesses that do not obstruct our primary responsibilities as lecturers.
“Buy shares, buy lands, write books and go into consultancy. Our colleagues in the south are already taking these opportunities, there is no point for us to us to lag behind.”
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