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Education Under Buhari’s Govt Was Catastrophic – ASUU President

Published

2 years ago

July 23, 2023

President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, has described the education sector under former President Muhammadu Buhari as catastrophic.

Professor Osodeke, said that the administration of former President Buhari was the worst thing to happen to the country, lamenting that no government had ever given the education sector a paltry five percent as the administration did.

He further noted with dismay that some lecturers have not collected salaries for about 30 months, while some have not collected the consequential adjustment paid about two years ago.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, the ASUU boss advised President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the person he would appoint as the minister to oversee education must be someone who knows what education is all about.

Asked to rate the Buhari’s administration in terms of funding of the education, he said, “It was catastrophe, that was the worst that even happened to this country. There is no regime that had given five percent to education but he did and even that five percent was not monitored.

“As I speak today during that regime, university of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ife, ABU get just eleven million per month for overhead cost. Meanwhile my university (Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State) spent more than twenty million on diesel a month, UniLag should spend not less than fifty million to one hundred million on diesel a month but the government just gave eleven million, here they gave five million and it’s hardly released.

“The take home pay of one Senator is more than if you combine (University) Ibadan, combine (University of) Ife together, the take home of one Senator is more than what you have in those universities as overhead cost, how will that run? That’s why we have the problem we have today, nobody is interested.”

Further asked what kind of minister of Education he would recommend to Mr. President, he said, “Such a minister should be somebody who knows what a university is and who knows what education is. Two, it should be somebody who will have the interest of Nigerian pupil, young boys and girls at heart. Three, the person should be somebody who must have his family in Nigerian university system, secondary and primary schools not somebody whose child is outside, you go and do matriculation and convocation there but you don’t have a child here.

“So those are some of the things that should be considered in appointing the next minister of education. A person who believes in Nigeria and not those who believe that Nigeria does not exist, we must go abroad. You have headache you go abroad, a president had toothache, he ran abroad for treatment.”

Fielding question on the expectations of ASUU in the present administration, Professor Osodeke said, “if you have watched, most of the past leaders have really not given the attention to the education system for growth. That is why we are having these problems especially the issue of funding.

“If you check in West Africa, Ghana, Cameron even South Africa, no country gives less than 15 percent of their budget to education but last year, we got 5.3 percent and it has never gone beyond 10 percent in the past ten years.

“So that’s the critical issue. In the early 60s and 70s, the regional government especially the western region was giving 30 percent. In some countries, they give up to 30 percent because of the importance of education, but here we don’t regard it. Do you know why? Because the children of those who should ensure that it is done are not in the country.

“The first six months of last year we paid 600 million US dollars as tuition fee, to UK universities. If you multiply that, it is more than two hundred billion naira. That is what we have been saying, put in education every year to revamp it but they are not interested. So that is the reason we are having this…

“Those who run the ministry of finance, ministry of education, all their children are abroad. So they don’t care what is happening here and the implication is very clear. Why our students are rushing outside the country, not even students from Benin Republic want to come here. While our lecturers are rushing out of the country, no lecturer from any angle even from West Africa wants to come to Nigeria.

“When I was a student in Rivers State University of Science and Technology, there were lecturers from five countries teaching in my department, Sri Lanka, Philippine, Poland, Ghana and Nigeria teaching in one department but today you don’t see any foreign one. To also compound it, they are trying to push the Nigerian system bureaucratic system into the civil service which does not happen anywhere in the world.

“The university has a law and that law states how a university should be run. Thank God that the National Industrial Court gave a judgement that something like IPPIS should not apply to university.

“So those are the problems we are having. When you go round these universities today, there are many of my colleagues who have not earned salaries from three to 30 months because of IPPIS. There are some people their consequential adjustment of 2019, the arrears that was paid two years ago, many of our colleagues have not got theirs.

“They just paid some and left the rest, the money has been swindled. So that is the problem we are having with the system. So our advice to this regime is, allow the universities to run on their own, provide the fund that should come from government, the fund from TETFund should be well managed. Today, it’s being managed by politicians. It should be restructured in such a way that it should be well managed that every university get what is due to it.”

News

Nestle Sacks CEO Over Office Romance

Published

9 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Swiss food giant, Nestle, on Monday dismissed Laurent Freixe as chief executive with immediate effect over an “undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate.”

The multinational behind Nespresso coffee capsules and KitKat chocolate bars said Freixe’s dismissal followed an investigation.

In a swift move, Nespresso CEO, Philipp Navratil, was appointed to take over by his fellow board members.

“The departure of Laurent Freixe follows an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate which breached Nestle’s code of business conduct,” a statement said.

The board said it had ordered an investigation overseen by chairman Paul Bulcke and lead independent director Pablo Isla, with the support of outside counsel.

“This was a necessary decision. Nestle’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service,” Bulcke said in a statement.

A company veteran, Freixe joined Nestle in France in 1986. He ran the firm’s European operations until 2014, steering them through the subprime and euro crises that began in 2008.

He headed the Latin America division before his promotion as CEO.

Freixe had only been in the top spot since a surprise switch in September 2024, entrusted with reversing soft spending by consumers for the company’s food and household goods.

Nestle’s share price slumped by nearly a quarter last year, raising concerns in Switzerland, where pension funds invest heavily in the company, whose brands also include Purina dog food, Maggi bouillon cubes, Gerber baby food and Nesquik chocolate-flavoured drinks.

Nestle shares closed up 0.13 percent at 75.49 Swiss francs on the Swiss stock exchange.

– Net profits –

In late July, Nestle reported a 10.3-percent drop in first half profits as it struggled to turn around its fortunes amid sluggish consumer spending in China, even as it passed on higher cocoa and coffee prices to consumers.

New chief executive Navratil had been an executive vice-president at Nestle, which is headquartered in Vevey on Lake Geneva.

“The board is confident that he will drive our growth plans forward and accelerate efficiency efforts. We are not changing course on strategy and we will not lose pace on performance,” insisted chairman Bulcke.

Navratil started his career with Nestle in 2001 and took on various roles in Central America, leading the coffee and beverage business in Mexico from 2013 to 2020, when he took over responsibility for global strategy and innovation for the Nescafe and Starbucks brands.

He became chief executive of the Nespresso brand in July last year and joined the company board in January 2025.

“I fully embrace the company’s strategic direction, as well as the action plan in place to drive Nestle’s performance,” said Navratil, pledging to “drive the value creation plan with intensity.”

News

VIDEO: Motorists Stranded As Bridge Fails On Lagos-Benin Expressway

Published

10 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Motorists and passengers were stranded for hours after a truck fell near a failed portion of a bridge along the Isoko axis of the Lagos-Benin Expressway, exposing the river beneath and rendering the route impassable.

A viral video from the scene showed queues of trapped vehicles as frustrated road users called on the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to urgently repair the dilapidated sections of the highway.

One stranded passenger, who was filmed in the video, lamented that the incident left commuters stuck for over two hours, halting both vehicular movement and the flow of goods.

He said, “I’m currently standing on the Benin-Lagos Expressway, and where we are now is Isoko Camp. This is a bridge, a very short bridge, and this message is to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, the one who is building a road from Lagos-Calabar Highway, the road to nowhere. This place is currently shut down.

“This truck fell here, and there’s no way. Look at this place. Vehicles are blocked. Look this way, everywhere packed up.”

The visibly frustrated commuter revealed the deteriorating state of the bridge, pointing to exposed sections above the river, which he described as a threat to lives and businesses.

He criticised the Federal Government’s focus on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, accusing Umahi of neglecting critical economic routes such as the Lagos-Benin Expressway.

“This is an expressway, and we have a minister. This is the Lagos-Benin Expressway yet, our minister, dey do Lagos – Calabar Highway,” he said.

“This is what we have. Do you know how many people pass here? As I’m speaking to you now, if you look up, trailer. If you know the number of trailers that are here and are trapped, it means the economy of Nigeria is affected. Because the number of goods and services has been shut down. Everywhere is shut down.

“This road now, everywhere is at standstill. This vehicle is even lucky that it didn’t fall into the water. And we have a Minister of Works wasting money, saying Calabar Expressway.”

He further argued that the Lagos-Benin Expressway carries more economic importance than the Lagos-Calabar Highway, urging the minister to prioritise repairs.

He said, “Mr. Minister, let me educate you. If you have a small economic sense, you will know that this road alone is affecting Nigeria’s economy. But that Calabar Expressway, it’s not affecting anybody. If you go there now, you won’t see vehicles parked lined up there. The only place where you will see vehicles lined up is on this road. So if the Minister has more direction, he will go and fix this road.

“I see when they say they need more money, they are borrowing more money to put in the road we don’t use. Then the one we use is abandoned. So please, those who are close to the Minister, talk to him. We are stranded here now. We have been here for over two hours now, and nothing is moving.”

The video has gained the attention of concerned citizens on social media, some of whom describe the road as a “death trap” and joined in calling for quick intervention on the road.

Watch video below:

https://x.com/MobilePunch/status/1962577345832714466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1962577345832714466%7Ctwgr%5Edf307ccd0eb71fe84e2d24b726307513398112b3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpunchng.com%2Fvideo-motorists-stranded-as-bridge-fails-on-lagos-benin-expressway%2F

News

Bauchi Govt Inaugurates Pastors, Imams Peace Building Committee

Published

12 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has inaugurated a 32- member Pastors/Imams peace building Committee to promote peaceful coexistence in Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of the state.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony on Monday, the governor said the move was necessitated by the need for the government to consolidate on the peace it had built and sustained over the last six years.

According to him, this peaceful coexistence had recently been threatened by the actions of unpatriotic elements within the state who didn’t wish the state well and were bent on hiding under the cover of farmer-herder clashes to taint the gains Bauchi has made so far.

While acknowledging that minor incidences are common, especially during the farming season, Mohammed said that the dimension of the recent threats in the areas was indicative of a deliberate attempt to cause disharmony.

He said it was to also portray the state in bad face in order to sully the recognition it had attained as one of the most peaceful states in not just the Northeast sub-region but in the country at large.

“We will not allow our hard earned peaceful coexistence to be truncated by the special grace of Allah. We have invested massively over the last six years in security and peace building measures and mechanisms.

“I will not allow anyone, no matter how highly placed, to scuttle the serenity and harmony that we have attained upon which our development and growth lies. I will deal decisively with all shenanigans fueling this crisis.

“I want to assure the citizens of the state that we are working very hard and continuously with the security agencies to contain every situation around the state”, he said.

The governor said the committee is to embark on religious, sensitisation to promote peaceful coexistence and encourage inter-group communication.

He said they are to also mediate disputes and foster dialogue between different groups where necessary, act as bridges by leading initiatives for inter-faith dialogue and understanding.

Mohammed added that they are to utilize their religious institutions to provide the platforms for community engagement and mobilisation of people towards peace building efforts, influencing attitude and behaviors.

The committee, the governor said, is to leverage on the teachings of religious sacred texts to inspire others to embrace the values of love, forgiveness, eschew hatred and violence.

Responding, Rev. Benson Bature and Imam Faidu Musa, Chairmen, Council of Imams and Pastors of the two LGAs who are the co-Chairs of the committee vowed to discharge their assigned duties even if they would have to pay with their lives.

They said they knew the miscreants were being pushed by some people that didn’t want peace to reign in the two LGAs, pledging to fish them out and hand them over to the authorities.

According to them, this would be done in no distant time as the religious leaders were working in unison, adding that even if a member of the committee is found culpable, he would be handed over to the authorities.