OAU students say Buhari's bailout to debtor states is an anti-poor Greek gift

Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife, have labelled the bail-out provided to states owing workers' salaries as a Greek gift that is anti-people and counterproductive.

This is in a statement issued by the President, Omotayo Akande, Secretary General, Oketooto Oluwaseun and Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojedokun, of the OAU Students Union after a to mark Nigeria's 55th Independence ceremony on the 1st of October 2015.

According to the students, the President Muhammadu Buhari bailout will in the long run result in negative consequences for the poor people.

"The Union however sees the bailout issued by the Banks to states through the purchase of government bond as not only anti-poor but equally a Greek gift that will not only come to hunt the poor Nigerians but further fuel the hegemony of the ruling elites," the statement read.

"The consequence of this bailout on the long run will mean the imposition of more austerity measures on innocent Nigerians vis-à-vis retrenchment of workers, cuts in government spending on public infrastructure and enforcement of pay cuts whose effect would not only still be able to cope with the refund of the fraudulent bailout but further plunge the nation in an unwarranted crisis and subject poor innocent Nigerians into untold hardship."

READ: Osun students protest lecturers strike, say Aregbesola has ‘no plan for education’

Osun state Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, whose government benefited from the bailout, was further criticised for failing to pay owed salaries months after receiving the Federal Government funds.

"Funny enough though, the state government of Osun even upon receiving the nasty bailout still refused to pay the workers their nine month remunerations.

"What an irony."

The students also said Buhari must ensure that allocation to education sector is "increased to 26% as recommended by UNESCO for developing countries."

Just three weeks ago, students of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke, Osun State College of Education, Ilesha and Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun as well as leaders of Osun Axis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Joint Campus Council (JCC) grounded activities at the government secretariat in Osogbo over the failure of the Rauf Aregbesola-led government to pay the salaries of striking lecturers of state-owned tertiary institutions.