The newly elected Governor of Anambra State Gov Willie Obiano has pleaded on ASUP and COEASU to please call off the strike in the interest of the students and the nation.
Obiano made the call on Tuesday while declaring open the 127th Regular Meeting of the Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria (COHEADS) holding at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke, said that endless industrial actions had adversely disrupted the academic calendar of tertiary institutions in the country.
“I urge you to make the resolution of outstanding issues that could lead to further industrial action a priority of this conference,’’ he said.
Obiano also urged them to engage the relevant authorities in a more proactive way and find a lasting solution to the problem.
“No country that pays scant regard to her youth has ever attained true greatness. We all have a role to play to give shape and form to the dreams of the Nigerian youth,’’ he said.
The governor said the state government placed priority on education because it was a veritable tool for training and molding the character of the youth.
Earlier, the Chairman of COHEADS, Dr Kabir Matazu, appealed to Obiano to help resolve the impasse with his wealth of experience.
Matazu said the students had suffered untold hardship over the strike, pointing out that it was also affecting the technical and vocational education in the country.
He, however, said that the body would work to ensure that the strike was called off for normal academic session in the schools.
In his remarks, the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Prof. Godwin Onu, said the school authorities would continue to ensure good relationship with the state government.
Onu appealed to the lecturers to call off the strike, stressing that the situation had posed serious problems for the students and the future of the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 50 delegates from schools across the country are participating in the three-day conference. (NAN)
