Group Lauds Resolute ASUU, Questions FG’s Sincerity

The Forum for Justice and Human Rights
Defence (FJHD) has given ASUU a pat on the
back for its commitment in prosecuting the
three-month old strike to compel the federal
government to finally address the myriad of
problems bedeviling the country’s university education system. The group said the action of ASUU was not
unjustified while questioning the sincerity of
the federal government “to meeting the said
demands” despite the reported release of
N130 billion to the governing councils of the
different universities. The group, in a statement by its National
Coordinator, Oghenejabor Ikimi, lamented that
hindsight has not shown the government
acting in a sincere manner that would cause it
to be trusted by the ASUU leadership. Ikimi opined that the leadership of ASUU
should not shift ground on the strike issue
until the government demonstrated its
seriousness by signing a kind of undertaking
to implement the reformatory
recommendations of the academic union after the strike would have been called off. “Even if the federal government’s intention in
the above regard is sincere, it is our
considered opinion that before ASUU calls off
its strike action, it must ensure that the federal
government as a matter of urgency, signs a
workable document with the leadership of ASUU on how it intends to meet their
demands bearing in mind that a similar
agreement signed in 2009 between the
federal government and ASUU has not been
implemented by the Federal Government till
date. “The group believes that ASUU’s demands are
genuine and real as (the strike) is an attempt
by ASUU to save our educational system from
extinction. For instance, in a recent world
assessment of universities where the list of
the world’s first 1,000 universities were published no Nigerian university was
mentioned.
The group stressed that “our universities
deserve better funding to be able to re-
position and revitalise itself as citadels of
learning before they can turn out graduates the nation can be proud of,” the statement
said. Meanwhile, the Delta State University, Abraka
(DELSU) chapter of ASUU has expressed
appreciation to Nigerians “for the support
availed ASUU so far in the struggle”, saying it
would not waver but remain resolute until
victory was achieved. In a statement signed by its chairman, Dr.
Emmanuel Nwafor Mordi, the body also
condemned what it called shoddy conduct
recently of the university’s Post-UTME, claiming
that its organisation “fell short of minimum
standards for DELSU examinations.”