Adefioye Iyunade
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos Zone on Monday, warned the Federal Government that attempts to reopen tertiary institutions without taking concrete steps to curb the spread of COVID-19 would be suicidal.
Addressing journalists at a press conference held at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, ASUU said that the Federal Government should be ready for any possible negative consequences following its plan to reopen tertiary institutions.
The zonal coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Olusiji Sowande, lamented that the government made arrangements for special bailout funds for airline operators and other private entities but did not extend the same arrangement to public universities.
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He cautioned that it is not enough to have the students back on the campuses but that the atmosphere and conditions must also be right.
The Coordinator said accommodations are inadequate, adding that there are no facilities on the ground to carry out physical distancing in large and crowded classes.
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He added that the water and electricity supply was not reliable in the universities.
He declared that years of neglect of both the education and health sectors in the country have resulted in inadequate infrastructure and lack of well equipped diagnostic, testing, treatment, and research laboratories in both sectors.
Sowande said, “The response of the public universities to the call by the National Universities Commission for their readiness to reopen indicated that public universities are not ready.
“Presently, hostel accommodations are inadequate, no facility on the ground to carry out physical distancing in large and crowded classes, water and electricity supply are not reliable, etc.
“Reopening tertiary institutions without taking concrete steps to address these issues would be suicidal. While the government made arrangements for special bailout funds for airline operators and other private entities, no such arrangement was made for public universities.”
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