City, State/Country – Education matter don turn wahala again for Nigeria as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) don open mouth talk say dem no gree how Federal Government dey handle education funding. Dem dey call this new Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) policy one serious error wey go make education look like business wey dey chase profits instead of supporting people. Na Prof. Chris Piwuna, ASUU President, talk this one for Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
For the interview, Piwuna vex come talk say instead of loading students with loans, wey fit add to their problems, government suppose dey give grants wey no go require anybody to pay back. “Ashawo no suppose follow education!” (that’s my own translation!)
You fit imagine say the same education wey suppose carry Nigerian pikin through life, dey turn market place where everything dey for sale. According to Piwuna, dem don advise government before, but like joke, dem no hear wetin ASUU talk.
“Come see e,” he yarn. “We go like NELFUND make am work, but as e no gree give grants, na the wahala go start. Students dey fear loans like say na snake dem go swallow,” he added, as he reason the low participation wey students dey show for this loan scheme. Dem dey think say if 1.6 million students no apply, wetin that one go mean?”
He no stop for there. Piwuna reply say ASUU don refuse to join any board for this NELFUND matter. Dem no wan join cabal wey no go gree listen to their advice, but dem still wish government well. “We go dey pray say this thing work, but we no go wan be part of the organization,” he talk.
Tuition fees dey increase like say dem dey sell gold for secondary school! E don hit as high as 1,000%, and Piwuna raise alarm say Ministry of Education need to put hand for matter to make things balance. For one school, na N125,000 to study medicine, while another one dey collect almost N400,000 for the same course! Na wah! (Does it mean we are turning education into a game of lottery?)
He talk say if dem fit use grants to control the fees, things go balance. Why e go dey hard to share money base on the kind university? First-generation universities go get one money, second-generation go collect another, make e be fair wey everybody fit understand. Na so he de reason am, no be chicken-change matter wey dem go dey use for big school fees.
As we dey enter this new education era, e dey clear say the way we manage funds go determine if students go fit get better future or dem go just dey manage pass. If to say we want better education for our pikin dem, we all need to wake up, shikena!
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