Okonjo Iweala
Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is currently under fire over a recent statement attributed to her, when he said that the federal government cannot afford the N92bn demanded by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
Angry Nigerians, while describing her statement as deeply rooted on sentiment against the striking university lecturers declared that the Minister was doing more harm to the nation’s economy than good.
Okonjo-Iweala, at the opening of a two-day meeting of Commissioners of Finance and Accountants-General of states, said the N92bn being demanded by the university lecturers was not within the reach of the Federal Government.
She said, “At present, ASUU wants the Federal Government to pay N92bn in extra allowances, when the resources are not there, and when we are working to integrate past increases in pensions. We need to make choices in this country as we are getting to the stage where recurrent expenditures take the bulk of our resources and people get paid, but can do no work.”
Reacting to her assertion, angry Nigerians described her as an agent of the nation’s enemy. Venting his anger on the Minister, one Mr. Nigeria said, “Does anyone get confused about Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s postulations about Nigeria economy sometimes? Yes, I do!
Madam Iweala bandied indices of growth at will but her defense of what actually is on ground is abysmal. Now, Mrs. Iweala is trying to play sentiment against Nigerian University lecturers for demanding that which government have promised them in the past. This is the same Madam who wants her salaries paid in Dollars in her first sojourn as a minister. Ngozi is playing smart and feeding fat on the ignorance of ever-gullible Nigerian masses who sees everything on the microscopic eye of tribe and religion.
Mrs. Okonjo is doing more harm to the Nigeria economy than good, she lies blatantly at every opportunity to defend government instead of telling Nigerians the true state of the economy. Today the economy is strong, tomorrow the economy is sick. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, I put it to you that you have run out of ideas on how to get this voodoo economy going. It is time for you to resign and apologize to Nigerians for helping the power that be to mismanage the country’s economy.
For Bosso Nwoke, the purported N92b demanded by the lectures is noting compared to what politicians earn at the National Assembly.
According to him, “Just 100 PDP members can boast of 92b naira. Both in open and stolen assets. The whole ASUU is asking for N92b and it became such a big deal. Iweala is as corrupt as the rest of them. ASUU will make more than thrice if they leave Nigeria to work abroad even in economies that are not as rich as Nigeria’s. A single house of representative member or a senator earns so much that ASUU cannot be faulted for asking for this amount. Iweala never faulted these morons in the NASS earning this undeserved loot from the treasury. Please shut up madam if you can’t tell the truth for once. Working with GEJ is enough blemish on your career. Show me your friends they say and I will tell you who you are.
Does the Minister have any good intention for Nigeria? “No” another Israel declares, “the lady is an agent of the enemies of Nigeria and the masses, grammar is the only thing she can offer but no practicality of the big economic postulations, all manner of lies on daily basis. GEJ can finance subsidy that does not exist but arranged by the financier of PDP candidates to loot the nation and inflict pains on the masses FGN can finance all those abokis at the National Assembly, earning N35m a month without any certificate other than OND in Islamic and Sharia Studies, while professors and lecturers cannot be paid N1m a month. FGN can finance useless special advisers like Doyin Okupe and others that add no value to Nigeria in any form: all GEJ appointees are as clueless as GEJ himself,” he asserted.
Genuinely, Igwe backs ASUU to be resolute this time around. Saying, “No implementation, the strike continues. Nigerians are behind you.
He added, “This is ridiculous! Only N92bn and madam Finance is crying. It is a pity that many of those working for Mr. President do not wish him well.
The money Nigerian students spend in the UK alone at the undergraduate level for school fees alone (accomodation and feeding excluded) is ten times what ASUU is asking for in allowances for a period of 4 years, (4 good years)- 2009 to date. Mr. president should open his eyes. This is another blackmail, this time from the Finance minister against ASUU; Dora did hers in 2009, saying FG had met 3 out of the 4 things demanded by ASUU and that is 75%, the Federal government had a pass mark, 75% in an examination had an ‘A’ grade. I don’t know who told Dora then that all questions in an examination attract the same score; coming from an ex-lecturer; that was nothing but a blackmail.
I think the worst that has happened to our universities in recent times is the NUC secretary, Prof. Julius Okonji. That man is supposed to be working for the betterment of the universities, but he seems to be working against the institutions he’s supposed to protect with his many lies to the presidency. May God help Nigeria.
Another Dr Pat Kolawole Awosan said, “With president Jonathan maintenance of ten presidential jets in the presidency and his Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke who spent about ten million dollars on rental of private jets to travel around for official and personal trips, the demands may never be met; if Nigeria could put its fiscal house in order and be prudent, FGN should be able to meet the demands of the striking ASUU-N92 billion naira demand through reasonable and convincing negotiations.
But FGN and minister of education are both careless and not much concerned about the welfare of workers and generality of Nigerian people anyway”
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