President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Academic Staff Union of Universities {ASUU) to reconsider their position on the prolonged strike, warning that the strike will have generational consequences on families, the educational system and future development of the country.
The President, who received some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), legislators and political leaders at his residence in Daura, Katsina State today, July 11, said that the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students and other stakeholders, throwing up many moral issues that already beg for attention.
President Buhari noted that the future of the country rests on the quality of educational institutions and education, while assuring that the government understands their position, and negotiations should continue, with students in lecture halls.
“We hope that ASUU will sympathise with the people on the prolonged strike. Truly, enough is enough for keeping students at home. Don’t hurt the next generation for goodness sake.”
The President called on all well meaning Nigerians, particularly those close to the leaders and members of the association, to intervene in persuading the lecturers to reconsider their position, and the ripple effect on an entire generation and the nation.
He said that students from Nigerian universities will be faced with the challenge of competing with others in a highly connected and technology-driven work space, and that keeping them at home will only deprive them of time, skill and opportunities to be relevant on the global stage.
“Colonial type education was geared towards producing workers in government. Those jobs are no longer there. Our young people should get education to prepare them for self-employment. Now education is for the sake of education.
“Through technology we are much more efficient. We should encourage our children to get education, not only to look for government jobs.”
President Buhari said that resources should be channeled more into building infrastructure and operations of the health and educational sector, not to expand the bureaucracy to create job opportunities.
APC Governors at the lunch with the President were Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Dr. Fayemi Kayode of Ekiti State, Simon Lalong of Plateau State and Abubakar Atiku Bagudu. Of Kebbi State.