Having remained adamant over the ongoing strike, and with the open threat to continue with its strike over the non-implementation of the agreement it arrived with the federal government in 2001, Nigerians at all quarters have continued to appeal to ASUU and the Federal government to apply the principle of effective dialogue in order to put an end to the protracted face-off.
Adding his words to the ongoing strike that has kept students at home for this long, the Director of Youth and Students Affairs of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG), Prince Eka Williams has appealed to ASUU to consider the effort of the Federal Government so far and call off its strike which he said was devastating and demoralising. Eka said that even though ASUU was fighting a just course, it must consider that the government of Jonathan has accepted to bear responsible of the burden transferred to his government from another administration. He appealed to the University body to also consider the plight of Nigerian students and call off the strike.
The Directorate of Youth and Students Affairs of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG),hereby appeals to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call-off its lingering strike action,in consideration of the teeming university students of Nigeria who are the greatest losers in the face-off.
We are not in doubt that ASUU’s strike action is altruistic and intended to improve the general quality of education in the country. But there is need for the union to reconsider its rigid stance, in view of the counterproductive effect it could have on the educational sector due to the gross distortions in the academic calendars of universities and its demoralizing effects on the students.
Although the FG-ASUU Agreement which is the crux of the current strike action was reached in 2001, prior to the advent of the incumbent administration, President Goodluck Jonathan has taken full responsibility in realization that government is a continuum
This informed his setting-up of the Gabriel Suswan-led Committee for the needs assessment of ASUU. The committee is reputed to be the most powerful FG committee ever set-up in the country to look into the issue of the union, comprised of top government functionaries and institutions. There is no doubt that the committee is poised to come up with recommendations that will be beneficial to both parties involved in the dispute.
Therefore, we urge ASUU to apply one of the cardinal principles of negotiation, which is simply “give and take” in order to arrive at a reasonable compromise that would move the nation’s educational sector forward.