Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Kingsley Moghalu, has advised the Nigerian government to prioritize education and not politicians adding that the political priority attached to education in Nigeria is very low.
Moghalu spoke on Tuesday during an interview with Channels Television.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike since February 14 to demand improved funding for universities, review of salaries for lecturers, among other issues.
Several meetings between ASUU and the federal government have ended in deadlock.
Speaking on the lingering ASUU strike, Moghalu said Nigeria needs to invest more in education instead of salaries of politicians.
“We need to invest a lot more in the educational system — the salaries of our teachers and professors in Nigerian universities, compared to what our legislators earn in the national assembly. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but there are reports that a senator takes home anything from N20 million to N30 million every month based on various allowances, not the actual salaries.
“Sometimes, people are very clever. They don’t say ‘my salary is N10 million.’ They say ‘my salary is N1 million’, and then there are several allowances that amount to N15 million.
“So, we are investing a lot of money in the pay of politicians, but if we want to be honest, how productive are they compared to if we had invested a similar amount of money in paying university and secondary school teachers and building the facilities that we need, creating the laboratories and so on?
“The political priority that we attach to education is very low. That is one of the reasons for the situation that we are in now.”
Asked if he believes the federal government cannot afford ASUU’s demands, Moghalu said the federal government needs to review its priorities.
“I think the federal government is not able to afford it because they have not prioritised it. Everybody sees a lot of money being spent in this country. Everybody sees a lot of money being borrowed in this country,” he said.
“We borrow sometimes for physical infrastructure. Why can’t you borrow to build your society in a very foundational way?
“Why can’t you borrow to pay the N1.3 trillion that ASUU and Jonathan’s government agreed would be paid in 2012 and over a period of time.”
Commenting on Legal tussle between FG and ASUU, Moghalu said it’s the employee that normally takes the employer to court but it’s otherwise in this case stressing that ASUU has every right to go on strike considering their demands.
“Normally, is the employee that takes the employer to court but it’s otherwise in this case. I am not sure how industrial court will force the Lecturers back to class. Agreement were reached, they have the right as a labour union to go on strike.
“For you to be able to defeat them in industrial court, you must show that what they are doing is illegal against labour laws.
“Government needs to do something dramatic and drastic to save the future of this country because Nigerian youths are the future of this country.
On 2023, Moghalu advised Nigerians to look for a leader who care about the welfare of Nigeria citizen. Look for the people who have vision and ambition to drive Nigeria forward.
“More people are awake to deficiencies of the tradition of political classes especially young people but the big question is are they enough to overturn the status quo?
“Whoever wins will try to do a better job but the question is who can do a better job of that better job?”