Nigerian students beg Buhari regime, ASUU over strike

“By the time I will be graduating, I may be above 30 years old and will not be eligible to go for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

News Agency of Nigeria • February 18, 2022

ASUU Chair Emmanuel Osodeke and Buhari

Some students of the University of Jos have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to find common ground toward ending the incessant strikes in universities.

They made the appeal on Friday in Jos.

ASUU had on Monday declared a one-month warning strike to drive home their demands, just after it suspended its nine-month-old strike in December last year. ASUU had claimed that the regime had yet to honour its agreement with the federal government in 2009.

Edlyn Pam, a 400-level student of Mass Communication, decried that the incessant strikes had constituted a stumbling block to her academic journey.

Ms Pam, who said the strikes by ASUU had delayed her graduation, added that it had affected the academic calendar of public universities in the country.

“Ordinarily, by now, I should have graduated, but for the numerous strikes by ASUU, I’m still here. I have spent six years pursuing a course I should have completed in four years. I’m not even sure when I’m going to graduate,” stated Ms Pam. “By the time I will be graduating, I may be above 30 years old and will not be eligible to go for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).”

She added, “So, I’m pleading with the federal government and ASUU to reach a sincere agreement so as to save the future of university education in the country.”

Another student, Kwaptoe Fred, explained that ASUU and the regime should be sensitive to the plights of students.

He called on them to sheathe their swords for the interest of future generations, which he said was currently bleak because of frequent strikes by lecturers.

“To me, the demands of ASUU are genuine, but their approach to the whole thing sometimes looks wrong. If truly an agreement is reached between it and ASUU, such an agreement should be honoured to the letter,” noted Mr Fred. “They say that when two elephants fight, the ground becomes the victims. The students, in this case, are the victims.”

He urged the regime and the university union to “return to the negotiating table and find common ground for the sake of future generations.”

(NAN)

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