A group, the Campaign for Equal Rights and Opportunities for all Nigerians, CERON, has appealed to the striking members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to make concessions in their demands and call off the lingering industrial action in the interest of the worried parents and students.
The group urged ASUU to emulate other striking members of associations in public universities who made concessions and called off their action after heeding the appeals by parents and students.
The Secretary of CERON, Mr. Francis Odiir who made the appeal weekend in Makurdi lamented that Nigerians were getting agitated over the strike which had crippled Nigeria’s public universities and forced several students into social vices and crime.
The group pointed out that “the sympathy ASUU enjoys among Nigerians was already waning because other associations in the universities have called off their action and Nigerians expect that ASUU should toe the same path.
“That is why we are appealing to ASUU to call off the strike while they continue their negotiation with the government so that they will still continue to enjoy the support and sympathy of all Nigerians.
“ASUU should realise by now that the present administration pays little attention to the education sector and therefore shouldn’t expect anything extraordinary from the government to better the sector.
“These are people who have their children in schools outside the country and therefore cannot appreciate the pains the children of the masses who populate the public universities and their parents are going through due to the prolonged strike.
“That is the more reason why we are appealing to the striking lecturers to consider the pains of the students and their parents and call off the action.
“We earnestly believe that the next government which would be ushered in, in about nine months time would prioritize the education of our youths and address the pending issues because this present administration has shown clearly that education is not its priority which is rather unfortunate in this age and era.”
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