The N20 billion ASUU Crowd Intervention Fund initiated by the Brekete Family Programme, a reality radio and television talk show which is aimed at resolving the lingering crisis between the union and the Federal Government has been suspended.
Ahmed Isa, Ordinary President of Brekete Family Programme, suspended the intervention fund in Abuja on Saturday during a live programme as the officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), led by Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke dissociated itself from the intervention.
Isa urged the union not to hold the government to ransom as it members were not ready to listen to the voice of peace, mediation and reconciliation, urging the government to take necessary action against them.
Isa said “I am an individual and as a leader is trying to ensure that the crisis is resolved and the union is saying no to the whole process, it is so disappointing
” I don’t know what will be the next action. I have suspended the crowd funding. After thinking it over, and if there is need for me to revisit it, I will but if not, I will refund everybody’s money and I will withdraw the N10 million I have contributed.
“Udom Emmanuel that has just lost the presidential ticket brought N50 million cash and others were willing to come because I said I was not willing to shift the date I gave. I gave two weeks for us to raise this money and we have the money.
Explaining how the money will be realised he said “If only 36 people would bring N50 million, we will have the money. If 20 million Nigerians will contribute N1,000 each, we will have N20 billion. 20 million Nigerians is equivalent to less than 10 per cent of Nigeria population.
” If we cannot solve our own problems, then something is fundamentally wrong with us as a people,” he said.
He adds that the money will be handed over to the trustees, who will in turn give it to the Federal Government for onward transfer to the union to end the lingering strike
The President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke had earlier said that the name of the union should not be used to raise fund as its demands were for the generality of the university system not the money alone.
Osodeke said that the decision to dissociate from the intervention fund was because decisions made at the union level was from bottom to top, hence members would have to resolve whether they agree or not. that the Federal Government should make university their first point of consultation.
Osodeke traced most of the problem said associated with the strike to the delay in the visitation panels sent to the universities, stressing that visitation panels are supposed to be set up by law every five years with the role of coming to universities to look at issues bothering them and come up with white papers on recommendation on how to resolve the problems.
Osodeke however called on the government to accept the UTAS payment system, saying it had passed 99.3 per cent competent test on functionality compared to “the IPPIS which has been proven to be fraudulent”.
He insisted that the union would not allow the IPPIS payment platform because it was contracted out, adding that salaries should not be allowed to be paid by someone outside the country.
