Ugar Ukandi Odey, Jos
The Academic Staff Union of Universities , Plateau State University Chapter, has declared that the Plateau State University cannot thrive in Isolation without collaboration and cooperation with others.
Rising from a Congress meeting to assess “the total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike action which has been subsisting since February, the ASUU chapter described as ill-advised the directive of ‘no work, no pay’ the federal government is using to deal with the striking lecturers.
Noting that there is no dichotomy in the ASUU such as Federal Universities or States Universities ASUU, the Union maintained that “the strike by lecturers in the Plateau State University is the same strike that every lecturer in every public Nigerian University is embarking upon to ensure that no public university finds itself below standard”.
Calling on the Federal Government to act “responsibly in ensuring quality university education in the country, the Union emphasized the imperative of communality among universities, saying Plateau State University in particular “needs the support of other universities within and outside the country in the same way that all universities in the world collaborate with one another”.
“There are many challenges facing Plateau State University, which are more than the challenges facing many other public universities in Nigeria. Without the effort and sacrifices made by ASUU, no department in the University will come close to passing the accreditation tests, and the National Universities Commission would have since closed down the institution”, ASUU noted.
It said further that “it is also significant to note that more than 90% of the structures and facilities on the Plateau State University were implemented by Tetfund or Needs Assessment Fund (Revitalization)”, regretting that the “State government has not offered sponsorship, both local and international, to any academic staff”, as “the Staff have relied on Tetfund, Needs Assessment, or their meager salaries to train themselves”.
