A non-governmental organization, I-Nigerian Renaissance Initiative,
has appealed to the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU), to find a common ground in resolving the current
deadlock.
A pess release made available to DailyPost in Abuja on Thursday said
in about two weeks, the current strike embarked upon by ASUU will be
three months old.
It noted that cumulatively, since the beginning of this democratic dispensation, ASUU has been on strike for 33 months.
The statement lamented that many students today, now find themselves
spending six years pursuing a four year programme, a sad fact that is
about to be further compounded, unless a truce is called soon.
“We at the I-Nigerian Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation
with the objective of positively transforming the perception of
Nigerians about Nigeria, call on all stakeholders to resolve the ongoing
ASUU strike as soon as possible, the group said.
“Without intending to apportion blames, we at I-Nigerian Initiative
observe that of the four major stakeholders involved in the imbroglio –
government, ASUU, students, and parents – it is only mainly our children
who are losing out. Students are roaming the streets, and having their
academic calendars elongated, while their future is being mortgaged;
parents are watching their children engage in anti-social behaviour,
with many of them even dying in the process. Lecturers on the other
hand, are still able to subsist on their collected salaries, and for
some, their consultancy practices is something to fall back on.
“While it is universally acknowledged that the Nigerian educational
system needs a general comprehensive overhaul, from the kindergarten to
tertiary levels, the solution certainly does not lie in shutting down
our institutions indefinitely. With the present situation, a lot of
things would be already destroyed in laboratories, in demonstration
farms, and other sensitive areas of the university system.
“With all that is going on, the growing trend of Nigerians besieging
universities in Ghana, Europe, Asia, Canada, and private universities
within the country is sure to escalate, unless ASUU and the Federal
Government devise and employ an amicable way of resolving the issues of
contention.
Continuing, I-Nigerian said decried an alleged persuasion by students for ASUU not to call off the strike.
“We, at I-Nigerian, refuse to believe that lecturers will now rely on
advice from their students, to continue with a strike that is not
beneficial in any way to the growth of the country. (ASUU has always
suspended their strike since 2002 and not called it off)
“It must be appreciated, that should university lecturers continue to
insist on getting their total demands from government before calling
off their strike, children of the poor ordinary Nigerians, will be the
ones to suffer the most, whilst the parents who are able to afford it,
will begin to send their children to alternative institutions outside
the country. Surely, this is not what we want for our future!
“We therefore lend our voice to the nationwide appeal to members of
the government negotiating team, to take adhere to the order of the
President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, and yield to the demands of the
teachers in the interest of peace and development of our dear country
Nigeria. Public universities are the heritage of every Nigerian and are
not private properties of any singular citizen.
“Our young ones, whom we must invest in, for the sake of our future,
must not be continue to be allowed to lie idle; we owe them the
obligation of proper and uninterrupted education, such that they can
stand tall, and proudly compete/interact with their peers in other
climes. We must also appreciate that not only do they constitute the
next generation of leaders, but they also constitute the group that will
guarantee Nigeria’s place in the future world order.
“This is a passionate appeal to both lecturers (ASUU), and the
Federal Government to sheath their swords, and consider the plight of
the students, and their parents, some of who are really struggling to
put these children through school,” concluded the statement.
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