ASURI calls for intervention as Buhari’s Minister of Finance frustrates research works in Nigeria

The Secretary General of the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), Mr Theophilus Ndubuaku, has called on well meaning Nigerians to intervene in the deliberate effort of the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed in frustrating the activities of Research Institutions in Nigeria.

He made this known to journalist during the ASURI’s peaceful protest in front of Ministry of Finance Abuja on Thursday.

Speaking to news men, Ndubuaku said the action of the Minister is deliberate having considered the effort made by the past and present government to resolve the issues which has hit the rock.

He maintained that the former Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Adesina wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan for the approval of payment which he approved, but the then Finance Minister turned down the approval.

Similarly, “Audu Ogbe who was Minister during Muhammadu Buhari’s first tenure wrote the same request including the Labour Minister, all these were approved by the President for payment, but unfortunately, the Finance Minister refused the payment”.

Ndubuaku called on Journalists and other well meaning Nigerians to address the needs to strengthen the Research Institution that the poverty and insecurity among others that bedeviled Nigeria can be addressed by researchers.

He further stated that, Japan that does not have oil is one of the most developed country in the world; all because they rely on research works to build up their technology, stating that all what we are using today is the product of research.

He emphasised that, if it is oil boom that can make the country rich and be a better place, Venezuela wouldn’t have collapsed.

Ndubuaku lamented that, instead of our leaders to pay attention to the basic thing that will bring our county from this predicament, they are busy pursuing elephant project and our National Assembly are busy making laws that will not help common man on the street.

The Secretary General advised the Minister of Finance to do the necessary because research is the only way for Nigeria to come out of this present situation.

He said: “Government owe us thirteen years which is approximately ten billion naira. The most painful aspect of it all was what I call “backdoor payment principle, the ministry call on few organs of the institution who are ready to re – negotiate and pay them through backdoor which is too bad as a nation.”

Mr. Ndubuaku alluded to the face that ” we have incontrovertible evidence of scandalous backdoor payment to favor few by the Federal Ministry of Finance who are ready to compromise”.

“Nigeria was ‘primary design’ by God to be the best country in the whole world by placing many mineral resources in every part of Nigeria, but these can not harnessed if we continue to neglect research institutions.”