ASUU Strike Is Justified — Chief Afe Babalola, SAN

A university administrator and frontline lawyer, Chief Afe
Babalola (SAN), has said the Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) is justified over its ongoing nationwide strike and
agitations on the proper funding of the universities among other
demands made by the union.

Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD),
urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to
source for money to ensure proper funding of university education
and to meet some of the demands raised by ASUU.

The lawyer stated that his university, ABUAD, has attained an
enviable height within nine years it began operations, saying any
staff, either academic or administrative, who constitutes a clog
that can bring down the standard would be sanctioned.

He spoke in ABUAD on Friday during a ceremony marking the ninth
anniversary of the establishment of the university, where the
management members led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Michael
Ajisafe, were present.

Babalola commended the staff for their commitments that had
contributed to ABUAD becoming a leading university in Nigeria,
warning that the management shall wield the big stick against any
staff found not supporting the vision of the institution, which was
to bring a paradigm shift to university education.

He said it sounded disgusting that the federal government could
earmark seven per cent budgetary allocation to fund education, when
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) recommended 26 per cent.

“I have been Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University
of Lagos (UNILAG) and I knew that the universities lack facilities
and equipment to be of high standard.

“In our universities, students are not resident in schools, some
stayed outside the lecture theatres to receive lectures, some even
used forest as toilets, lecturers are not paid as and when due, all
these are intolerable.

“So, ASUU’s case is strong this time and I support them in spite
of the fact that I have been criticising them in the recent past,
but I stand with them this time.

“The federal government must look for funds to make our
universities be of high standard. UNESCO recommended 26 per cent,
but the federal government still allots as low as seven
per cent to education. The federal government must increase
allocations to universities and monitor how the monies are
appropriated, because accountability has always been our
problem.

“ASUU alleged that over 70 per cent of the projects in our
universities are uncompleted for lack of funds and corruption, this
is wrong.

“In ABUAD, we complete our projects in time. We built our
Planetorium within six months, some federal universities started
theirs 10 years ago and they have not completed it,” he said.

Babalola said ABUAD has become one of the best universities in
Nigeria within nine months because the management works extra hard
to monitor the lecturers and students to be able to embrace the
vision.

“In the law school examinations conducted in 2018, 12 ABUAD
students got first class with one emerging overall best. They
presented 36 prizes and our students carted away 24 of them. This
showed that keeping the students here under monitoring was
working.

“We shall continue to celebrate those staff who are working to
keep the standard we set and we have achieved for ourselves. But
whoever wants to bring it down among the students and teachers
shall be sanctioned. Those who don’t want to share our vision must
go away.

“From next week Monday, we will begin teachers’ annual
assessment to be able to know those who are working for our glory
here and they shall get their rewards,” he promised.