Strike: NANS Accuses ASUU Of Plotting To Destroy Public Varsities

National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has accused the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of a plot to destroy public universities through their actions, particularly the recently declared indefinite strike.

NANS said it had taken time to review the decision of ASUU to declare an indefinite strike and considered it not only unpatriotic and unnecessary but also wicked, and definitely not in the interest of Nigeria or the tertiary education system in Nigeria.

Its President, Sunday Asefon, in a statement, queried the rationale behind ASUU’s decision to extend the strike after their demands had been met by the government except for the demand for payment of six-month salary arrears.

“Such decision was easy for ASUU because many of their leaders do not have their wards in public universities, and they still have employment at various private universities around the country, and as such not affected by their attempt to collapse the sector for their selfish and inconsiderate gains,” Asefon argued.

According to him, ASUU initially succeeded in masquerading their strike as an action in the interest of the tertiary education system in Nigeria and in the interest of the teeming Nigerian students, but events of recent weeks have made it clear that ASUU has an ulterior motive, namely, to collapse the university education system in Nigeria while systematically promoting private universities where many of them have their children, stakes, and perhaps where they receive payment for the job of collapsing public universities in Nigeria.

He called on the Federal Government to investigate the leadership of ASUU with the aim of unraveling their motivation for their “insistence on collapsing the public university system in Nigeria.”

“The declaration of the indefinite strike after virtually all ASUU demands had been met must be considered an act of educational terrorism and economic sabotage, government must act fast and be ruthless in dealing with anyone found culpable to serve as deterrence to others who might want to hold the nation at ransom and perpetuate systemic terror attack on the nation,” Asefon said.

“We condemn in totality the insistence of ASUU on payment of six months’ arrears for the entire period of the strike before they can call off the strike. This demand is not only insensitive, it is selfish, inconsiderate, and uncharitable.

“The six months are a period of no work. We, therefore, encourage the government to use every available legal window available to it and ensure that ASUU does not kill our tertiary education system.”

The NANS President, however, asked State governments to reopen state-owned institutions for academic activities and grant the Vice-Chancellors authority to enforce the resumption as state universities ought not to have joined the strike in the first place.

He insisted that government must maintain its position as an employer and use its power to hire and fire effectively to save the education system from the total collapse planned by ASUU.

“We, therefore, plead with ASUU leadership in state institutions that were ridiculed and labeled quacks by ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, to toe the path of honour and save their institutions from the verge of total collapse by calling off the strike,” he added.

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