The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties(CNPP), has commended the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) for considering national interest and suspending its three months old strike to protect the future of the country.
CNPP said the suspension of the industrial action had shown that ASUU members were patriotic Nigerians, who believed that dialogue could be a better weapon to settling differences rather than confrontation.
ASUU had last year November embarked on strike to demand for the implementation of pending agreements reached with the federal government.
The strike, which paralysed academic activities in all the public universities within the time the industrial action lasted was suspended on Wednesday.
The political group in a statement by its Ekiti State Chairman of the body, Com.Olu Akomolafe on Saturday , appealed to the federal government to fulfil its own side of the memoranda of actions signed with ASUU to prevent future backlash.
He said the country may end up being destroyed , if universities that were designed for human capital training and development are being subjected to all manner of industrial feud.
Akomolafe added that allowing students to waste three months at home owing to reconcilable and avoidable differences between the federal government and ASUU, may further recede the Nigerian universities’ ranking by global community.
The CNPP said while the government at all cadres must prove to be responsible by acceding to the requests of university teachers, ASUU also must display patriotism by refraining from strike each time they have an axe to grind with the authorities.
“The suspension of the strike was long overdue. ASUU must realize that members can’t get everything they want at all times. They should study the mood of the nation so that their actions won’t be politicised.
” This strike coming few months to a general election has made it a veritable political tool for some politicians, who fondly alluded to it as a failure of governance . University education is so sensitive that it has to be insulated from unnecessary politicking.
“During this strike, many families have recorded losses in terms of monies and times. In most of the advanced climes, lecturers there have a lot of issues to complain about, but they still go to work to perform their statutory duties and negotiate to make those things work.
” We have studied the demands being requested for by ASUU, they are legitimate and good for the uplift of our universities but incessant strike may further contribute to the downfall of our ivory towers even as good as those demands seemed to be.
“We appeal to the FG to begin ways to fulfill those agreements leading to the suspension of the strike in due course , to safeguard the future of our youths, because this kind of strike should not reoccur again,” he advised.
On increase of tuition fees in some universities, CNPP slammed the management for the hike, saying Nigerian public universities should be seen as training grounds for future leaders rather than money making ventures.
CNPP stated that while it agrees with the reality that university education across the globe is costly , it shouldn’t be made unaffordable for poor but brilliant students in a developing nation like ours .
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