The incessant academic and administrative problems rocking the University of Abuja have overwhelmed the Ministry of Education and no one has answers to the myriad of challenges bedeviling the institution, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmad Rufa’i, has said.

She regretted that all efforts made “to resolve the knotty issues leading to series of disruptions of academic activities in the institution have not yet nipped the problem in the bud; if you look critically, definitely there are more issues that anybody on this table can think about.”

Rufa’i said the ministry had drafted a White Paper about three months ago and submitted it to President Goodluck Jonathan, the visitor to the institution, adding that it was being studied by “a team at the upper level.”

The minister was speaking yesterday when she received new leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who lodged complaints with her regarding the crisis at the University of Abuja, as well as other issues affecting students of tertiary institutions in the country.

She said problems of the university were not for lack of fund, stressing that in addition to its budgetary allocations, as well as intervention funds, the university was offered another N2 billion by the federal government to further meet up with its challenges.

Meanwhile, in a move to avert the impending strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the House of Representatives yesterday summoned the minister of education and officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to appear before its committee on education.

The resolution was taken following the adoption of a motion brought under matters of urgent public importance by Hon. Bashir Babale (PDP, Kano).

In his lead debate, he said it was becoming worrisome that university lecturers would have to embark on strikes to force government to meet its obligations on issues that had been agreed upon in the best interest of the national tertiary education.

He urged the House to intervene with a view to averting the impending strike which ultimatum expires in nine days’ time in the interest of the national education sector.

Hon. Ossai Ossai (PDP, Delta), who seconded the motion, said without proper education, the nation’s democracy “cannot survive” and that “if university education collapses, it will affect other sectors in the nation.”

He also said that it would be wrong for the government to allow any strike reminiscent of the one in 2009, which was called off after the government reached an agreement with ASUU.

ASUU has since issued an ultimatum to the government to meet with its demands or face another industrial action.

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