From: Linus Oota, Lafia
The relative peace in Nasarawa State University may be heading for the rocks should the state government fails to respond to the demand of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The ASUU had rejected the financial autonomy granted to the institution by the state government.
Chairman of ASUU in the state, Dr. Nghargbu K’tso, told members of the State House of Assembly Committee on Education, during a courtesy call, that the university remains a public institution and should be properly funded by the state government.
The chairman appealed to the assembly to save the institution by ensuring proper funding in order to improve on the institution standard of education and for the overall development of the country.
According to Dr K’tso, “We are here to appeal to you to use your good offices to increase the funding of the education sector in the state particularly the state university subvention because the budget is passing through you so as to make the university compete with other universities across the country
“We are also demanding that there should be a review of the law establishing the university to make the management of the university spend single term of five years and not four years renewal, this will encourage excellence and productivity”
Dr K’tso added that adequate funding of universities would improve research development and would also boost the nation’s revenue base thereby discouraging people from studying abroad and will address the infrastructural decay.
Responding, chairman of the House committee on Education, Hon. Daniel Oga-Ogazi (APC-Kokona East), assured the ASUU that the assembly would partner with the state government with a view of looking into the issues raised, adding that the assembly would continue to enact laws that would strengthen education in the state.