Again, Buhari begs ASUU to call off strike

By Stephen Gbadamosi

President Muhammadu Buhari has again appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off the ongoing strike.

This is even as ASUU president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, on Friday declared that the current strike by members of the union would proceed until the Federal Government was ready to agree to the lecturers’ terms.

Buhari made the call on Friday in Maiduguri at the maiden Special Convocation Ceremony and conferment of Honourary Degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Maiduguri on Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi, Chairman, Oriental Energy Resources Ltd.

The president was represented by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari.

“It’s more appropriate that we say something about this ASUU strike because we are celebrating Alhaji Indimi who is celebrated hugely for advancement of quality education not only in this country.

“In this regard, I want to convey President Muhammadu Buhari call for ASUU to call off their strike and return to classroom”.

The president said negotiations had gone far, and for ASUU to continue the strike under such condition was counter-productive.

According to him, such prolonged interruption of education is undermining the nation’s development of human capital.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Aliyu Shugaba said the maiden special convocation was to give honour to Indimi for his contribution to educational development at home and abroad.

He urged the Federal Government, ASUU and other unions in the university to resolve the lingering strike to save the education sector.

Also, former President Olusegun Obasanjo lauded the peaceful atmosphere in Maiduguri, adding that, “what I saw is contrary to the picture being painted outside”.

Obasanjo lauded the effort of Borno government and other stakeholders for the relative peace in the state and urged them to sustain the tempo.

He congratulated Indimi for the honour bestowed on him, describing him as “a self-made man as shown by his struggled to greatness in life”.

For his part, Indimi expressed gratitude to God for the honour done to him and reiterated commitment to selfless service to humanity.

Prof. Saliba James, who read the citation of the celebrant, said that Indimi had distinguished himself in promoting educational development within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

“Indimi has been providing remarkable help to the vulnerable and downtrodden people in the society irrespective of where they come from.

“He has supported many indigent students in Borno, his home state and even in faraway states like Akwa Ibom.

“It is on record that Alhaji (Dr.) Indimi has provided vital education infrastructure in International University of Africa (IUA), Sudan; in faraway Lynn University, Florida, USA, and of course not forgetting to mention this multi-billion Naira magnificent edifice where we are right now seated and holding this Special Convocation today in this University.

“I believe that his best is yet to come”, James said.

Meanwhile, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, has appealed to Nigerian students for understanding, saying the union’s strike is preparing today’s students to make sacrifices for the coming generations to have basic amenities and have easy access to quality education.

Osodeke said this at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife in Osun State, during the union’s congress.

The ASUU president said the current strike by members of the union would proceed until the Federal Government was ready to agree to the lecturers’ terms.

“The affected students are making sacrifices for development in the schools so that future generations can benefit. For anything to develop, some people will make sacrifices.

“You will agree with me that Nigerian universities are on the verge of collapsing. This struggle is not just for them, but the future generations.

“A large number of lecturers have moved out, not because they hate this country, but because of the way they were being treated. There’s no country in the world that their academics would go on strike and you (government) would think the best weapon to use is to seize their salary.

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“When we were on the strike, lecturers in the United Kingdom (UK) also went on strike. It didn’t take two days for them to resolve it. When Ghanaian lecturers went on strike, they resolved it.

“But here, they felt nonchalant. Do you know why? It is because they (government officials) have no commitments. Their children are not here.

“We will go as far as we can on this strike to the point they are ready to agree to our demands,” he said.