MEET FRANK OSHANUGOR
By Winnie Kodilonye
As the strike embarked upon by Nigerian universities’ lecturers under the auspice of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) enters the sixth month, the Union has asked Nigerians not to vote for the continuation in office of the political party currently responsible for the strike.
In other words, the Union has asked Nigerians not to vote for the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the presidential and other levels as the incumbent administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari is APC government.
President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke made the appeal to Nigerians at the weekend while speaking with journalists.
He posited that Nigeria’s political leaders lack conscience as no country anywhere in the world would allow its universities to be shut down for six months as currently the case in Nigeria.
According to him, our leaders “have no feeling for Nigerian students, no feeling for Nigeria as a country. That is why they are looking down on the educational system and shut the universities for almost six months without response.”
“Such a thing would never happen in any other country of the world. To change the narrative, ASUU is making the sacrifice as no country develops without sacrifice. The students by staying at home while their schools are shut down are also making sacrifice.”
The ASUU chieftain remarked that the Nigerian University system is at the verge of collapse. He has therefore called for a sustained action until the Union’s demands are met.
“If by this strike, the universities are well funded with students living in good hostels, stay in well furnished lecture halls without hanging on windows or sit on bare floor to receive lectures, sit in the same classroom with children of ministers, governors, students from United States of America, United Kingdom, Ghana etc in Nigeria and be learning, the students would have made sacrifice for their future generations.
“Election is six months away, so we appeal to Nigerians not to vote for those whose actions and insensitivity has caused the prolonged strike. Get your PVC and vote them out at the election. It is your right to do so, just the way you voted them in.”
