ASUU Strike: Kingsley Moghalu Suggests What FG Should Do To Permanently Resolve ASUU Crisis

Former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria and former presidential aspirant under the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kingsley Moghalu has identified the major cause of regular industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Since February this year, the academic union has been on strike with students wasting away their future at home without any academic activity.

All effort by the government committee, top individuals and education stakeholders across the country to resolve the crisis and get the lecturers back to classroom has remained unfruitful.

Speaking on the situation while featuring on Tuesday edition of Channels TV Politics Today, the former CBN deputy governor said the major reason ASUU consistently goes on strike is because the federal government does not place any premium on education.

Moghalu revealed that as at today in Nigeria, the salary of a lawmaker is more than that of a university professor.

He disclosed that there are reports that a senator takes home up to 20-30 million naira every month based on various allowances and not on actual salary.

According to Moghalu, if the federal government can invest massively on the education sector, encourage the lecturers with good salaries, the issue of constant strikes by ASUU will become a thing of the past.

He said: “We need to invest a lot more in the educational system. The salaries of our teachers and professors compared to what our legislators earn in the national assembly leaves much to be desired.

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but there are reports that a senator takes home anything from N20-30 million every month. Based on various allowances not on the actual salaries.

“Sometimes people are very clever they don’t say my salary is N10 million. They simply say my salary is N1 million and then there are several allowances that amount to N15 million.

“So we are investing a lot of money in the pay of the politicians but if we want to be honest, how productive are they compared to the result if we have invested similar amount of money in paying university teachers or secondary school teachers and building the facilities that we need and creating the laboratory that we need?” he asked.