By Saheed Ibrahim

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has advised the incoming President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to appoint a competent personality as a minister of education during his tenure.

 The charge came shortly after the immediate past Minister of Education under Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said he knew nothing about the sector before he was appointed minister.

 ASUU said Nigeria could not again afford to put an incompetent person in charge of the education ministry if the country is truly ready to achieve meaningful economic progress.

 The newly reelected National President of the Union, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, said issues ranging from poor funding, decaying infrastructures, poor remuneration and welfare, libraries, laboratories and others must be fixed in public schools.

 He said only an expert who is competent and understands the sector and its great economic value is fit for the job.

He said an innovative, patriotic person who believes in Nigeria’s educational system with children studying in Nigerian public schools should be appointed minister.

He said it would be unwise for Tinubu to appoint a minister whose direct family members are abroad studying, and he goes to them to take photographs and celebrate such on social media.

He said somebody who would be getting direct feedback from their relations about happenings, particularly in the public school system locally, would perform well as a minister of education.

He said the era of politicising education and giving lip service to the sector by the political leaders is gone, declaring that “a university don would be well-suited for the job.”

Osodeke noted that the country has so many renowned scholars and administrators in the public university system, emphasising that appointing a minister of education based on party affiliation will further plunge Nigeria’s education system into a deep mess.