By Meletus EZE
The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has called on the Federal Government to work towards ending the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu expressed concern that the strike had entered its 62nd day and ought to be brought to an end.
He stressed the need for the universities to be re-opened without delay, noting that the education of young Nigerians is being affected negatively by the development.
“In November 2016, the Senate intervened in the strike and met with officials of the Ministries of Education, Labour, Employment and Productivity and ASUU.
“The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Education, Mr Anthony Anwuka and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity in the National Assembly.
“In the meeting we agreed that the federal government should work to implement the agreement that it reached with ASUU in 2009, and subsequently, we set up a sub-committee to liaise with both ASUU and the government on the issue.
“The federal government must work to address the demands of ASUU because the issue goes beyond negotiations. It is affecting the education of Nigerian students, and disenfranchising many of them from participating in the upcoming general election.
“The youth make up over 51 per cent of registered voters. What does this mean for our electoral process, when young students who are registered to vote in their academic institutions cannot do so because their schools are shut down,” he said.
Saraki assured that on its part, the senate would continue to work to ensure that Nigeria’s education sector is strengthened.
He said the senate was ready and willing to collaborate with the federal government and ASUU to end the strike and ensure that it did not become a recurrent issue.—-NAN
