The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has enjoined the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to join forces with the union in forcing the federal government to fulfil its responsibilities in the education sector rather than being deployed as a counter-force against the union.
The union, while reacting to a statement credited to one Suleiman Sarki, who spoke on behalf of C Zone of NANS that the ASUU was selfish, said that though the students have right to their opinion but they should always get their facts right.
ASUU, in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Monday by Dr. Ade Adejumo, its Ibadan Zone Coordinator, described the statement credited to Sarki as “rather unfortunate” riddled with lies and cheap propaganda aimed at blackmailing the union.
Adejumo, in the statement entitled Re: ASUU is selfish”, said “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to one Suleiman Sarki of Zone C, NANS.
“In the said statement, ASUU is painted as selfish, fighting only for the benefits of its members. This is rather unfortunate. The statement is riddled with lies and cheap propaganda aimed at blackmailing our union.
“To start with, in all our statements, there was no nowhere that ASUU vowed not to return to the negotiation table with the government. Indeed, it is part of our union’s practice not to turn down invitation from government during a crisis like the current one. It is saddening that an official of the students’ body will lend himself to usage for such cheap propaganda.
“What ASUU keeps saying, up to this point, is that no agreement has been reached with the government in any of the issues in contention. The students will do well to find out the present status of our discussions with the government and feed their members with correct information.
“There is also the insinuation that what ASUU tells the public is different from what they present at the negotiations table. ASUU is too careful to be so cheaply blackmailed.
“It is in the realization of such possibility that ASUU insists on the inclusion of a neutral third party as witness at such negotiations. The ongoing struggle is not an exception. The students might want to find out from NLC what transpired at the negotiations.
“The students have the right to stage public protests over any national issue, but they should get their facts right. They should join forces with a patriotic union like ASUU in forcing government to the path of responsibility rather than being deployed as a counter force to our union. This is the only path to a quick resolution of the impasse.”
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