Turkey Trip: ASUU Attacks VCs For ‘Wasting’ Scarce Resources On Wives ‘When Lecturers Are Denied Salaries’
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has berated members of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) over their wives’ proposed trip to Istanbul, Turkey, for a five-day ‘masterclass’ amid the ongoing ASUU strike.
The union described the trip as despicable and condemnable.
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In a statement announcing the roll-over of its strike on Monday, ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) said the trip would no doubt be a waste of already scarce resources.
“NEC found the planned overseas trip organised by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities’ Spouses (CVCNUS) despicable and condemnable.
“The advertised five-day conference in Istanbul is a waste of scarce resources of our universities; it is insensitive and provocative, particularly at a time like this when lecturers are denied their salaries for daring to struggle to improve the lot of our public universities,” the statement read.
THE WHISTLER reported that the Secretary-General for the Vice-Chancellors committee, Yakubu Ochefu, had indicated in a letter that each of the VCs wives will pay N1.5 million to attend the conference scheduled for 18 to 23 July 2022.
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The letter addressed to vice-chancellors was titled, ‘Invitation to the Istanbul 5-Day Leadership & Management Masterclass, Fellowship Induction for Spouses of Vice-Chancellors, Women in Academics and Higher Education Leadership’, where it was also revealed that each of the VC spouses would pay the sum for course forms.
A former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, also chimed in on the issue, calling it “an unnecessary fad springing from Nigeria’s culture of absurdities“.
He said the VC spouses’ association had no value and no reason for existence.
“However, the association of their spouses has no value to add and no reason for existence. If anything, it would lower the high esteem in which the Nigerian public holds the Committee of Vice-Chancellors,” he said.
