Aisha Bihari’s proposed private university is a joke taken too far, says ASUU

Officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have slammed wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, for saying she would mobilize the establishment of a private university to be named after her husband.

In separate interviews, ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan, Professor Deji Omole and former national treasurer of the union, Professor Ademola Aremu, said it was a bad move in a situation public universities were crying of funding.

Omole was quoted as saying, “When I heard about the proposed private university to be named after Mr President, I just looked at it as a joke taken too far. If we have a president in a country that has simply refused to fund public education and all we get from the first family is to establish a private university in collaboration with some foreigners, it is a disaster for this country and for a sitting president.

“The implication is that Nigerians should know that this leadership does not believe in public funded education. Nigerians should support the struggle for the government to take education as a core investment upon which this country will be liberated. It is not the children of the rich that will solve the problems of Nigeria but the children of the poor and the tool they need is quality in education.”
Also, Aremu advised Aishaa to influence policies of her husband’s administration to revitalise public-funded education.

He noted, “I don’t think that she is serious. We already have proliferation of universities and they are not taken care of them. Since her husband is a policy maker, should he now formulate policies that will ground public universities for their interest to thrive? I thought we have actually left that era. I could remember that Obasanjo established Bells and we condemned it. Atiku established his own as Former Vice President and we frown at it.

“If you have private interest, you should not hold public office. If you have interest in anything private thing, I think it is proper to actually leave the public space for those who want to serve the masses. How many people can afford the existing private universities in the country? If you want to help education, then increase the capacity of the existing ones. When you are holding a public office, don’t establish a private concern. She should wait until Buhari is completely out of office before thinking of bringing a private university in whatever name.”