Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has berated the Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, for asking protesting students not to use their protest to disrupt political activities.
The union, in a statement Thursday by its Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, said the Senate President represents what it described as the class of political vipers who are bent on destroying the future of the children of the masses in order to access resources of Nigeria.
Akinwole said as a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Senate President has not even shown the capacity to solve problems by not knowing the importance of education over political activities, adding that the union lobbied the National Assembly to prevent the strike but the lawmakers were not forthcoming forcing the union to take the fate of her members in its hands.
The ASUU Chairman stated that it was inconceivable for a high-ranking political office holder to prioritise political activities over education, adding that the consequences of their inactions have caused the country to toe the path of retrogression.
ASUU had started its strike on February 14, this year, to obtain new conditions of service, funding for public universities and deployment of University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), among others.
Akinwole maintained that those in political offices are non-challant towards the education sector because for most of them, their children school abroad, urging Nigerian students to own the struggle and take over their destiny.
He added that the best way to destroy a country is by destroying education which is what the ruling class among whom the Senate President is are pursuing with ferocious vigour.
According to him, “It is inconceivable for a Senate President to see political activities as more important than having students back to learn and develop the society. The Union, ASUU, informed, lobbied and appealed to the Senate to avert the strike but they were not forthcoming. We see a house loyal to the ruling political elite and not to Nigeria. To this set of politicians, anything can suffer but their access to common treasury. That is a sign of irresponsibility. Has their own welfare issue not been taken care of?
“I salute the resolve of the Nigerian students to fight for their own right. Education is a right and not a privilege. The youth, Nigerian students have an inalienable right to be concerned and must take actions they considered appropriate to secure their future.”
