Tobias Sylvester
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged striking lecturers to call off the prolonged industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Buhari Bemoans ASUU Strike
KanyiDaily recalls that ASUU had embarked on a warning strike since February 14, over the failure of the federal government to meet its demands.
Amid the strike, the government and the union have held a series of meetings, but no agreement has been reached by both sides on ending the strike.
Reacting to the development on Monday, July 11, President Buhari declared that enough is enough, noting that the strike had already taken a toll on parents, students, and other stakeholders.
Buhari, who warned about the “generational effect” of a prolonged strike, advised the university lecturers not to hurt the next generation by reconsidering their position.
The president stated this in his address when some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), legislators, and political leaders visited him at his residence in Daura, Katsina.
He said, “I hope that the institutions that we have like ASUU will sympathise with the country and the people. There is nothing wrong with showing the government and the leadership that you don’t like what they are doing. But enough is enough. Don’t hurt the next generation for goodness sake,” he said.
“Those of you who have friends that are teachers, please persuade them to go back to classes so that our children can resume their educational pursuit.
“People, whether they like it or not, are realising that to get educated to get government jobs is no longer [it]. Now, you get educated for the sake of education, because where are the jobs? The jobs are virtually finished.
“Technology is making things easy. We conducted an exercise in the government and found out that grade level 12 downwards, we said they should work from home, and found out that we are even more efficient. So, technology is even bringing a shortcut to efficiency.
“We should use it and try to tell people to please encourage their children to get educated for the sake of education, not for government jobs, because technology is cutting down the number of government jobs. The resources will be used for education and healthcare mainly.”
KanyiDaily recalls that ASUU national president, Prof. Emmanuel Osedeke had recently expressed readiness to call off the strike if the Federal Government addresses their concerns.
