The Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday hinted on embarking on a nationwide
strike.
Chairman of the
University of Jos chapter of ASUU, Dr Lazarus Maigoro disclosed that the union
was currently mobilising its members in a bid to embark on strike because
government has failed to meet its demands.
He made the claim
while dismissing insinuations that the union was insensitive to the plight of students
and parents by constantly embarking on strikes.
Speaking with NAN,
Maigoro insisted that the demands of the union before the Federal Government
were aimed at improving the standard of universities in the country.
The union has
started mobilizing its members across the country to embark on an industrial
action over what it called government’s failure to fulfil the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) reached with it since 2009.
NAN also reports the
news of an impending strike, as many parents have decried the incessant
industrial action embarked upon by university lecturers and accused ASUU of
being insensitive to the dilemma of students and their parents.
But Maigoro
explained that a large part of the union’s demands from the government were
anchored on adequate funding, infrastructure development and the need for
improved facilities in the universities with a view to making learning more
conducive for students.
“It is true that we
are currently mobilizing our members across our 13 zones in the country for a
nationwide strike and this is because government has failed to fulfil the MoU
of 2009.
“It was same issues
that led to the strike in 2018 which was later suspended in February 2019 and
as I speak to you, government has not fulfilled any of the agreements reached
“Our demands are not
personal, but we want adequate funding for universities, more infrastructure
development and what have you so that students can learn under a conducive
atmosphere.
“So, parents and
indeed Nigerians should not see us in bad light, because we are pushing for a
cause that will raise the standard of our universities.
“Remember, our
children and colleagues are also schooling in this system; we are also affected
by the strikes, and so it is not about us, but the future generation,” he said.
Maigoro, however,
accused politicians and government officials of being insensitive and treating
issues of education with kid gloves and called on the government to act fast in
revamping the decaying system.
“We are like any
other ordinary Nigerian; we don’t have money to take our children abroad. It is
the politicians that send their children overseas to school. And that is why
they don’t care about improving the system at home because it doesn’t affect
them in any way
“So, government must
be proactive enough in bringing back the lost glory of education in Nigeria by
making the system work through adequate funding and what have you,” he said.
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com