- Asks Govt. to Jettison Subsidy Removal
THE National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) on Monday commended the federal government for releasing the sum of N30 billion as revitalisation fund for public universities in the country, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The commendation is contained in a communiqué signed by NAAT’s President, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, released at the end of the union’s 48th National Executive Council meeting held at the Federal University of Technology Owerri on Monday.
NAAT commended the timing of the release of the fund, noting that it would go a long way in addressing challenges facing universities in the country. It urged stakeholders to ensure appropriate utilisation of the fund for optimal results.
While noting that it plans to reward best graduating students in Sciences and Technology related courses in three universities and one college of education in each of the country’s geo-political zones with effect from March 2022, NAAT however frowned at the non-payment of arrears of the minimum wage and earned allowances in line with the 2009 agreement by the federal government and university sector unions.
It called on the federal government to jettison the planned removal of fuel subsidy noting that it would cause more hardship in the country, just as it urged Nigerians to take the COVID-19 vaccine without delay as a way of beating down the spread of the new Omicron variant.
