Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant, Public Communications to Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, says former President Goodluck Jonathan has lectured President Mohammadu Buhari-led government on how to address the lingering strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
It will be recalled that the university lecturers have downed tools since February this year and all efforts to resolve it have not been successful.
It will also be recalled that on Wednesday, the National Industrial Court ordered the striking lecturers to suspend the seven-month-old industrial action and resume classes.
Reacting to the ruling, the academic union urged its members to remain calm in the course of deciding the next action to take.
Speaking on the logjam, while having an interview with Trust TV’s political programme, Shaibu said if he were a lecturer, he would just go to class, cross his egs and watch the students.
“It can’t resolve the issue the issue. They’re only scratching the surface and that goes to show that they have no capacity to resolve this problem. Of course, this has been a recurring decimal. But then it’s been better handled…. The other day, President Goodluck Jonathan, offered free tutorials to them on how to manage the strike.
“The danger is this; It’s not just about ASUU. It the Nigerian public. I want to be incumbent on ASUU to educate and sensitise the mass of our people, the more on their demands. It’s not about lecturers salaries. It’s about the collapse of the educational system. It’s about the decayed educational system.
“We have over 1million 1.9million students minimum that write JAMB every year in the last three years, more than less than 1.9 million. And the current capacity of our universities is oscillate between 250 to 400,000 students, meaning about 1.4million students who would write JAMB cannot even have access to university education.
“Where does that leave us? We now have one called issues of educational tourism in Ghana. Some even go to Benin. when they go there, they contribute to the economy of Benin Republic, contribute to the economy of Ghana. These students rent houses, they pay school fees, they buy food and do other things. And tomorrow we begin to complain that nothing’s working in Nigeria. How can things work?
