Students’ union: “It’s clear that FG and ASUU have nothing to lose.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike has kept many students at home for extended periods of time, and the Council of Student Union Presidents (CSUP) is regretting that it is losing students to the constant killings of bandit assaults.

At a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, Mr. Ishaka Yahaya, the Student Union President (SUG), Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, spoke on behalf of all SUG presidents across tertiary institutions.

The Federal Government and the ASUU, according to Yahaya, have nothing to lose from the strike. She also noted that many students who were supposed to be in school but chose to work other jobs were being kidnapped and killed as a result.

He urged the government to consider and address the demands of ASUU so that the students may go back to school.

“It’s accurate to claim that only the grass suffers when two elephants collide.

“It is clear from this situation that neither the Federal Government nor ASUU have anything to gain from a conflict.

“This is because salaries for employees of the Federal Government continue to be paid during strikes, and nothing prevents pay for ASUU members from continuing to be paid once strikes are over.

“You would agree with us that the Nigerian students are the sole sad and innocent victims in this situation because they stand to lose everything.

Even if the walkout had been called off, many of the youngsters would be too young to serve their country because of the age restriction.

He bemoaned that because of age restrictions, “so many kids after graduation will not be able to get government jobs.”

In addition to other corresponding wantonness and purposelessness among Nigerian students who, under normal circumstances, should be in school learning knowledge, Yahaya reported that the strike had increased the rate of drug usage, prostitution, and thuggery.

He claimed that because Nigerian universities and students had been exposed to uncertainties, they were now routinely the targets of bandits kidnapped.

“We thus call on the Federal Government to respond to ASUU’s demands as soon as possible because, in the event that they are not met, we will be forced to continue our peaceful protest despite the current state of the nation’s security.

For, he said, “it’s better to die for something than to live for nothing.”

According to MINIECHAT, ASUU went on strike on February 14 to press its demands, which included a better welfare package. This forced many Nigerian students to stay at home.

Miniechat

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