Having remained adamant over the
ongoing strike, and with the open threat to continue with its strike over the
non-implementation of the agreement it arrived with the
federal government in
2001, Nigerians at all quarters have continued to appeal to ASUU and the
Federal government to apply the principle of effective dialogue in order to put
an end to the protracted face-off.
Adding his words to the ongoing
strike that has kept students at home for this long, the Director of Youth and
Students Affairs of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG), Prince Eka Williams has
appealed to ASUU to consider the effort of the Federal Government so far and
call off its strike which he said was devastating and demoralising. Eka said
that even though ASUU was fighting a just course, it must consider that the government
of Jonathan has accepted to bear responsible of the burden transferred to his government
from another administration. He appealed to the University body to also
consider the plight of Nigerian students and call off the strike.
PASSIONATE APPEAL TO ASUU TO
CALL-OFF LINGERING STRIKE
The Directorate of Youth and
Students Affairs of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG),hereby appeals to the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call-off its lingering strike
action,in consideration of the teeming university students of Nigeria who are
the greatest losers in the face-off.
We are not in doubt that ASUU’s
strike action is altruistic and intended to improve the general quality of
education in the country. But there is need for the union to reconsider its
rigid stance, in view of the counterproductive effect it could have on the
educational sector due to the gross distortions in the academic calendars of
universities and its demoralizing effects on the students.
Although the FG-ASUU Agreement
which is the crux of the current strike action was reached in 2001, prior to
the advent of the incumbent administration, President Goodluck Jonathan has
taken full responsibility in realization that government is a continuum. This
informed his setting-up of the Gabriel Suswan-led Committee for the needs
assessment of ASUU. The committee is reputed to be the most powerful FG committee
ever set-up in the country to look into the issue of the union, comprised of
top government functionaries and institutions. There is no doubt that the
committee is poised to come up with recommendations that will be beneficial to
both parties involved in the dispute.
Therefore, we urge ASUU to apply
one of the cardinal principles of negotiation, which is simply “give and take”
in order to arrive at a reasonable compromise that would move the nation’s
educational sector forward.
PRINCE EKA WILLIAMS.
Director, Youth & Students
Affairs.
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