Former senator Shehu Sani has called on Nigerian government to prioritise proper funding of public universities and ensure that those in power commit to revitalisation of education sector.
Gatekeepers News reports that Sani made the appeal while addressing members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) during their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at University of Benin (UNIBEN).
Praising ASUU’s decades-long commitment to democratic ideals, civil rights, and quality education, Sani described the union as “the barometer of Nigeria’s social well-being, the thermometer of our economic health, and the compass of our political direction.”
He acknowledged ASUU’s resilience through military rule and democratic transitions, noting that without their advocacy, the country’s tertiary education system would have crumbled.
Dr Akinsola From UNILAG (At the left) and Sen. Shehu Sani (At the right)
The former lawmaker criticised the unchecked proliferation of universities across Nigeria, attributing it to political patronage and competition among legislators rather than genuine educational needs.
He further lamented the politicisation of appointments to university governing boards, referring to them as “settlements” used to reward political allies.
Sani noted that there are enough resources in the country to find the universities and proposed that recovered looted funds should be channeled directly into the public university system to bridge the current funding gaps.
Addressing Nigeria’s security crisis, particularly in the North, Sani linked rising insurgency and banditry to the long-term neglect of education.
He argued that had past administrations invested in educating marginalized communities, many of today’s armed groups might have chosen books over bullets.
Sani also called for legislation mandating that children of public officeholders attend public universities, a move he believes will compel leaders to take education reform more seriously.
He reaffirmed his solidarity with ASUU, pledging continued support for the union’s cause.
The ex-lawmaker added, “Without ASUU, tertiary education will have soon ceased to exist. Your resilience, your struggle and all that you have resisted, even attempts to divide you and create rival unions, you have survived all these things here.”
