The youths, under the aegis of Arewa Youths Forum, AYF, issued the warning while reacting to the worsening crisis in polytechnics across the country.
Angered by the prolonged strike by academic staff of polytechnics in the country, Arewa youths on Tuesday called on Education Minister, Prof Ruquayattu Rufa’i, to resign with immediate effect.National President of AYF, Alhaji Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu, told Vanguard that it was unbecoming of the education minister to continue to behave as though nothing was happening, many months after academic activities had been brought to a standstill.
Gujungu noted that the action of the minister was not only a setback to the north but also Nigeria and should, therefore, be made to give way in the interest of the nation.
“As the umbrella organization of all youths in the north, we are not only angry but also surprised with what is going in the educational system in the country and the polytechnics in particular,” AYF lamented.
“This is because after many months of strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, the Federal Government and in particular, the Minister of Education is carrying on as if nothing is wrong with the sector.
“On behalf of youths of northern extraction we are calling on the Minister of Education to immediately call the polytechnic lecturers to the negotiating table or resign.
“We believe this has become necessary in view of the fact that our contemporaries in the polytechnics have been at home for so long and the minister under whose jurisdiction the polytechnics fall into has failed to bring the strike action under control.
“The minister’s action shows a high level on incompetence and we believe that she is not fit to hold such a sensitive position in Nigeria and should therefore be shown the way out,” AYF said.
The youths said the issues for which the teachers had gone on strike were germane and should be addressed by the government to give polytechnic education the needed bite as obtained in other parts of the world.
