The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and students under the umbrella of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) today protested over poor funding to the education sector, as well as dilapidated structures in nation varsities.
The group who match from the Unity Fountain in Maitama Abuja, to the Federal Ministry of of Education, Federal Secretariat complex, urged government to ensure complaince with the UNESCO recommendation of at least 26 percent of annual budget to education sector.
NLC head of International and National Assembly Laison, Comrade Uche Ekwe who spoke with Journalists said government should also implement the recommendations by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on how best to finance the sector.
He commended Nigerian students for the initiative because according to him, the country national budget in the last 20 years has fallen short of UNESCO standard.
“In the past, Nigerian students have not organised themselves as such, the campaign which is to save education can not be apt than now because for the past 20 years, our National budget has not met the international requirements as recommended by UNESCO that at least 26% of it annual budget should be for education.
“But on our case, we have not gone beyond 12% and in implementation, we have not gone up to 7% and this struggle has been left for ASUU alone for a very long time, that other Nigerians felt that ASUU are trouble people, but because they are in the education sector, they know the damage and the danger of what is going on and the longer they left this, the more decay you have in the sector both in the infrastructure and manpower.
“Is significant from the point of view that for a long time, NANS have not organise themselves and focused as this outing.
“The students as the composition of NANS is a strategical part of the labour movement for several reasons, they are huge body of the young people and very important of the future of every country, also they are the children of the working people.
“We have maintained that more funding should be channel to the education sector and our affiliate, ASUU have done a deep research papers about sourcing of raising this fund, so am advising government to work at those document from ASUU and ensure they have the political will to implement”.
Also speaking, NANS president, Comrade Bamidele Akpan lamented over the dilapidated structures in the nation universities, adding that has affected the quality of students been turned out by the Institutions.
” If you go to our campuses, what you see is dilapidated structures. The International community sees our educational system as one who dished out certificate to people who don’t merit it. Lack of Laboratories, lack of libraries, lack of basic amenities. And yet we have leaders who enjoyed free and compulsory education and even complained to us that when they were in school, they had free education, they had hostel accommodations, and were even fed with chicken and fish, that to some extent they wanted to protest of being fed”.
Some of the placards carried by the students read in parts” Stop commercialising education, “FG attend to ASUU and COEASU now, “Our lectures halls are similar to bakery oven, FG should meet up their agreement with COAESU,
Others are “No Nation can survive without good education, 26 percent UNESCO standard now or nothing, adhere to UNESCO budgetary recomendation on education, education is our right, don’t mortgage our future”.
