The Gombe State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration for allegedly neglecting the education sector,Daily Trust reports.
In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Abdulkadir Ahmad Dukku, the PDP blamed Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for the strike initiated by academic staff at Gombe State University (GSU).
According to Daily Trust, the GSU chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) went on an indefinite strike on Wednesday over welfare concerns.
The PDP claimed that the negligence by Yahaya’s administration is not limited to higher education but affects the entire educational system.
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“The current government’s neglect extends from primary to higher education, compromising the quality of education, especially due to inadequate teacher welfare in primary schools,” the statement said.
The PDP expressed solidarity with GSU faculty, emphasizing that the strike highlights the poor state of education under Governor Yahaya’s APC leadership.
Dukku also criticized the administration for failing to honor the 2021 Memorandum of Action (MoA), which had committed to increasing funding, paying accumulated Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and establishing a training fund for academic staff.
He further alleged that since 2019, the APC government has systematically weakened key educational institutions, including five state-owned tertiary schools in Kumo, Dukku, Billiri, Bajoga, and Nafada.
The PDP urged the public to hold the government accountable and demand that education and public welfare be prioritized over personal interests.
In response, Governor Yahaya’s spokesperson, Ismaila Uba Misilli, dismissed the PDP’s statement, accusing the party of using the ASUU strike for political gain. He claimed that the PDP is spreading falsehoods to manipulate the public and prolong the closure of schools.
Misilli also expressed the government’s disappointment with ASUU for initiating the strike without following proper labor relations procedures, despite ongoing efforts to address the union’s demands.
