Francis Sadhere

THE Senoir Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Delta State University branch, has vowed to resist the implementation of the report of the committee on NEEDS Assessment by the Federal Government.

Comrade Goodluck A. Ohwavborua, SSANU, Chairman, DELSU branch in his address at the public lecture on the Committee on NEEDS Assessment and contemporary issues in Nigerian Public Universities, said that the NEEDS Assessment report was misleading with  damaging recommendation on the non-teaching Staff of the university system.

The lecture, according to him, was an effort to critically analyse the NEEDS Assessment Report in order to put the records straight and correct some mis-information and exaggerations contained in the report.

He said; “SSANU DELSU welcome the idea of the Public lectures, but holds the view that a more radical and pragmatic approach be adopted to resist implementation of the obnoxious NEEDS Assessment report.”

Comrade Ohwavborua revealed that; “In an emergency Congress of SSANU, DELSU branch held on December 30th, 2013, it was resolved and it is hereby resolved that the National Leadership of SSANU should institute a legal action against the Federal Government to stop the implementation of the NEEDS Assessment Report.”

He added that; “We also recommend that at the end of this lecture, a communiqué be issued to further sensitize the general public and also stop implementation of the NEEDS Assessment Report.”

Also speaking, National Vice President and Chairman, Western Zone of SSANU, Comrade Alfred I, Jimoh, said; “We see the section on the non-teaching staff in the NEEDS Assessment Report as highly offensive and misleading, thus it has taken upon itself to proof to its members, other members of the University and the good people of Nigeria that, the submission of the Prof. Yakubu led committee on the non-teaching staff of Nigerian Public Universities are nothing but selfish and ludicrous submission born out of age-long hatred for the Non-teaching staff in the Nigeria University system with the ultimate intent to subjugate and pauperised them.”

He urged President Goodluck Jonathan and the state government to save the jobs of Non-teaching staff of Nigerian Universities by not implementing the NEEDS Assessment Report.