ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted a proposal by the Federal Government to slash 50.76billion from the 111.78billion budgeted for Universal Basic Education Commission.
The academic union also stated that the same proposal being planned for the healthcare would be an Ill wind that would further destroy the sector.
Slashing of healthcare budget to 26.51billion from the 44.49billion allocated to it was an indication that the FG had not learnt any good lesson from the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
ASUU stated this through the University of Ibadan branch Chairman, Professor Ayo Akinwole.
ASUU, 7up, others for donations
To him, a serious and progressive government will not allocate funds for any rehabilitation of government buildings or purchase of buses at the expense of critical sectors like Health and Education.
ASUU, therefore, warned President Muhammadu Buhari against cutting down the budget of Health and Education sectors in the proposed 2020 revised budget.
The union also noted that Government should not defraud the nation by muddling up budgeted social intervention funds with donated funds meant for palliatives for the vulnerable to cope with COVID-19 which has negatively affected their livelihood.
ASUU stated that the proposed cut by the Buhari government shows the government as totally lacking in understanding of the precarious state of things in Nigeria’s Health and Education Sectors.
On the palliatives being distributed to cushion the effects of COVID-19, ASUU frowned at government’s decision to stop salaries of lecturers for refusing the quest of the government to break the laws thereby making over 30,000 lecturers and over 50,000 dependants vulnerable at this time.
