Former Minister of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West, yesterday declared that only a vagabond government would fail to invest in education, adding,“There are more thieves in government than saints in the country.”

David-West said this in Ibadan while speaking at a town hall meeting organised by the University of Ibadan chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

He said: “Any government that fails to invest in education is a vagabond government. The problem with Nigeria is that we have more thieves than saints in government. We drill over two million barrels of crude oil per day. Why should we be poor? ASUU is saying put money in education to improve education quality for our children and those yet unborn.”

He maintained that if the federal government was serious, there was nothing stopping it from adequately funding the nation’s education sector, noting that a government that said it spent N8 trillion illegally must be made by all Nigerians to fund public education.

According to him, no serious government would turn its back on proper funding of education, adding thatany government that “fails to invest in education is a vagabond government.”

He said it was unfortunate that the same government that “does not have money for education budgeted N1 billioneach to feed the president and vice-president for a year.”

David-West asked rhetorically: “Are they eating rock in Aso Rock? If you went to school without shoes, ensure that your children have shoes. Good parents pray that their children must be better than they were.”

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) in Oyo state, Dr Bashir Olarenwaju, in his remarks, lamented that the nation’s leaders “don’t have the interestof the masses at heart.”

“Those who are in government do not have our time. They do not have regards for Nigerians,” he said.

The chairman alleged that it was glaring that the federal government “is insincere with the nation’s education sector.”

He said a Minister of Education ought to have resigned if a ministry under which he or she works is comatose.

Olanrewaju said: “Nothing is working in Nigeria. Nigeria will be doomed if education is not sound enough. How many of them have children in public education? Their stolen money is being used to send their children abroad in order for them to return to rule over our children.

“How will our products be good if we do not have quality infrastructure to work with? We are fighting for the system, future of the country, so that our children will not be turned to slaves.”

Also speaking, chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Segun Ajiboye, said the town hall meeting was part of efforts being made by the union to meet with the masses and enlighten them about the on-going strike.

http://blueprintng.com/new/2013/08/16/only-vagabonds-abandon-education-says-david-west/

Wike.....you don hear?

Eziokwu! Vagabonds indeed!

Quite unfortunate that the youths whose future is being thrown to the dogs by the GEJ administration can't see nothing wrong with their plight. Let's wait for 2015.

Indeed!

Your right sir.......ride on sir

B4 nkor... Hw dat 1 take concern us na.

Thank you o. Oya FG settle ASUU mbok. We don tire for house. Unless say na vagabond government una dey run

Nice m0tivati0nal article...! Bt seri0usly,d g0vernment shud b readin dz nd nt we....hmm..i d0n tire 4 huz walahi..

"Are they eating rock in Aso Rock" it makes me laugh but either now or later, we shall scatter everything, it's jst a matter of time.

But this is serious, the professor is saying the truth, what is happening to
our university is quit unfortunate.

It's even more worrying to think and know that it is the same students, whose lives are being toyed with by GEJ administartion, that will campaign and vote for the same clueless president and his cohorts. I weep for the future of Nigeria.

*yawns*

Talk your own make 9ja better
Talk your own make nairaland's front page, 9ja most visited website.

He has spoken well.

Real education has nothing to do with schooling, as a matter of fact I'm thinking of dropping out of school sef.

E go beta na jux tym

As long as we keep voting PDP, things will get better.

I just have a feeling.

its nice to hear frm David Mark calling himself ansd others top govt. vagabonds. kudos to u mr president of d senate. may u God grant u more courage and serenity and strenght to admit the fact that Pdp govt. is vagabond and corruption in nature. please also advise ur cohorts includin Gej to all resign honourably instead of imposing themselves on nigerians at the expense of true democratic rule and development.

bankyc) Are they eating rock in Aso Rock" it makes me laugh but either now or later, we shall scatter everything, it's jst a matter of time.

I swear, can't wait for that time to come

Rubbish, don't need anyone to tell me that this is politics, if this same david west, was a minister of petroleum under GEJ would he be saying all this? Pot calling kentle black, those working under GEJ praising him now we begin to shout and insult the same government they stole from should their appointment be terminated, both ASUU and government are theives. The ASUU are not fighting for the masses rather for their pocked, useless leaders

Baybe: Thank you o. Oya FG settle ASUU mbok. We don tire for house. Unless say na vagabond government una dey run

shuo so you from ,my state abi? Kai mma ino mkpo aba die nah? Aba ommo?

Perfect description of our government "VAGABOND GOVERNMENT"

These leaders dnt knw education is very vital in development of d society..

We want quality education in Nigeria..
All those stealing the country's fund,God dy watch dem.

myners007 :
its nice to hear frm David Mark calling himself ansd others top govt. vagabonds. kudos to u mr president of d senate. may u God grant u more courage and serenity and strenght to admit the fact that Pdp govt. is vagabond and corruption in nature. please also advise ur cohorts includin Gej to all resign honourably instead of imposing themselves on nigerians at the expense of true democratic rule and development.

David west not david mark.

jassie: Cheap attention seeker! I would have taken his comments seriously, but I noticed the word 'EX' before 'Minister' and realized he's only playing politricks.

ASUU members themselves are irresponsible. How do you explain a bunch of educationists going on strike all the time, abandoning the poor students?

I would have cried foul if I hadn't passed through the Nigerian university system. The bitter truth is that these ASUU guys are all politicians, Lecturers, HODs, Rectors, VCs. . . all of them are politicians belonging to a political party.

So the fact is that when ASUU strikes, its a case of POLITICIANS vs POLITICIANS, the students are the ones bearing the brunt, shikena!

TRUTH

Thank God say i sabi write my name, wetin remain.

Before Ebele's laptop militia flood this thread to defend their boss, their job and their crumbs, permit my post
I recall ASUU was heavily lambasted on the FP thread where said they demanded for 87 billion and not 92 billion lie Ngozi Iweala made to news media
When you pay your workers peanuts,expect monkeys
I can empathize that many University students are frustrated but hey teachers especially at the tertiary level are well remunerated
I was even pleasantly surprised to learn that our University tutors are well paid relative to other countries like Malaysia, France, China, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Turkey [note attached graphic which came from this source http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/03/22/why_canadas_professors_are_the_best_bestpaid_that_is.html]
However this strike came about by GOVERNMENT RENEGING ON A SIGNED AGREEMENT scaled back to about 15% of the original demand
Why did the government agree and sign in the first place only to renege?
And with the outrageous unmerited figures we see as remuneration of political leaders in the press not forgetting the display of opulence by our political leaders, how can they convince not only the lecturers but Nigerians that government cannot afford to pay up?
Tell that to the marines.

I have been wondering what they eat in the Aso with about one billion budgeted for President and 700m for VP for their feeding. Does that really make sense?

So what‘s he trying to tell gej indirectly? That‘s he‘s a va*abond or what? Though i never meant to comment #just passing by sha#

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