ASUU strike: Atiku leads the way as 216 Nigerians sign petition to end stalemate

 

Two hundred and sixteen Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora have signed an online petition asking the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities to end the industrial dispute which has kept public universities shut for four months.

The petition launched on change.org, a go-to site for web protests, is asking President Goodluck Jonathan and the National President of ASUU, Dr. Nassir Faggae, to reach an “amicable consensus.”

In the petition entitled, “Mr. President and the Academic Staff Union of Universities: Please End the ASUU Strike now,” the petitioners said the Presidency should stop playing politics with education of the Nigerian youth.

The petition read in part, “Since the ASUU strike began, it has been over half a semester, a lot in the life of students waiting at home, not knowing when the strike will be over. The future of Nigeria is at stake. Stop playing politics with education.

“It is urgent we send a message that it is long past time for the FG and ASUU to reach consensus and get students back to school by ending this strike.”

A majority of non-students who appended their signature to the petition noted that they joined the online protest with a view to crying out to ASUU and the FG to consider poor students whose parents cannot afford the luxury of sending them overseas to study like the sons and daughters of political office holders.

Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, joined other students and concerned Nigerians clamouring for a speedy end to the crisis rocking the higher education sector.

Atiku, who featured the link to the petition signing website on his Twitter handle, wrote, “We should never play politics with education. Our future depends on it. It is time for the FG and ASUU to reach a consensus and get students back to school by ending this strike.”

An Abuja-based post-graduate student in one of the public universities in the country, Mubarak Jubrin, expressing his dissatisfaction, wrote: “I am stuck with a semester to finish my Master’s programme. The FG should be doing everything possible to rescue the one institution left that is working towards producing better human beings who will shape the future of our dear country.”

Noting that prolonged shutting down of public universities is a dangerous omen for the society and development of the nation, a Kaduna-based student, Tarik Abubakar, also said Nigerians students were being denied their rights to education.

“Students in other countries are enjoying their rights to education. I am pleading with the FG and ASUU to settle their issue and call off the strike,” Abubakar stated.

A Nigerian student studying at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, Godspower Onwudiwe, lamented that the industrial action paints a bad picture of Nigeria on the international scene.

Onwudiwe stated, I feel so sorry for my beloved country because these incessant strikes are a barrier to her general development. Also, as a student in the Diaspora, it paints a very pitiful and shameful picture on our international identity.

“I cannot wait to not only see this strike end but also the end of future strikes to the detriment of the future of this generation and our country at large.”

Jemima Gana, who was moved to sign the petition because she believes that the status quo needs to change as the prosperous future of Nigeria depends on quality education, which is being threatened by the strike.

Gana, who according to the information she provided on the site, is based in Lagos, said Nigerian students need a stable learning environment devoid of strikes for them to be able to compete globally.

“It is so important to me because it is high time the FG took the value of education seriously and in high regard. Students in Nigeria need a stable environment to acquire knowledge and graduate on time in order to contribute their skills to the growth and development of this great nation,” she wrote.

Read more: Nigerian Eye

Comments (8)

  1. My contry is blesd but d ppl dat are been opotuned 2 be at d head ar jost being selfish,gredy,and wiked.asuu want 2be like d political leaders why dey didnt spend 3thousand naira 2be emproyd as a lecture.is d ider not stupid? D polititians made dere money elswer b4 contesting and occupaying a political post and if d asuu are not seing it dat way,den let den quit dere office and go into politics and it will even be a great oportunity 2employ d youths dat you ppl are occupaying dere lecturing oportunity.afterall am aiming 2bcom a lecture by d year 2015 if u ppl can alow me 2sarve my contry by febuary 2014.

  2. Wel wel,since asuu an fg hv decided not 2pity,care,show love and provide for their young ones/leaders of tomoro,nw i belive dat my felow students/youths hv also goten enogh coreage 2stay at home.but my prayer is dat one day i will be in a beta position like u lectures/fg. daz wen u ppl at ur old age will see dat u are stil learning hw 2be wiked..no,it wil be a shame 2callof d strike by nw b/c asuu dont want 2b stupid and fg cant spend onwisely.but Esut,esut esut god will neva alow u leaders 2go onponishd 4ur ignorance and wikednes.starting 4rm the vc down 2d s u g..

  3. Atiku Abubakar, why do you hate "Mr President Goodluck Jonathan "? Is because of you and your gang that the going ASUU strike has lasted up to this moment. Please stop confusing yourself and we Nigerians . We all know you want that seat by all means but remember what you use to measure out for someone will be used to measure out for you. Lets help our dear country, we all have a part to play in making it conducive. Think about it.

  4. I really cant cry anymore, i just hope dat one day our leaders will see how hear broken we are,,, and dey shuld also rem dat dey have families and relation who live and study in Nigeria,,,,also one day be one day we self go become leaders of Dix great country Nigeria

  5. Thank you very much Mr. Vice President for your effort. what I want to add is that, ASUU members should stop looking at politicians person life style, just because minister for aviation bought two cars at the price of 255 million naira shouldn’t be a problem to them. for instance, delta state university Vice chancellor, Prof. Eric Arubayi comes to work with four cars, four mobile police officers every morning, now tell me, why should he do such a thing? who is he running from? is he a politician? if he is, what position is he occupying, president, governor, senator, house of rep., local govt chairman, house of assembly ( which constituency)? why is it that, whenever he does a project that worth 5 million naira, he will triple the amount on paper? if you say politicians are wasting our money, then what money is Prof. Arubayi using to pay those security agents and the fuelling of the cars while he is still staying in the school environment? I believe if Dr. fagge should be the Nigerian president, he will do more than the minister. Is only in Delta state university that i have seen where they will close payment of school fees at first semester ( i mean state university), the big question now is WHY IS THAT SO?
    The most interest thing is, they blaim only FG for their insincerity as if they are sincere. could you imagine that 2007 Unical graduated someone with second class upper division ( 4 point), someone who has been in U.S.A throughout that period of four years without coming to NIgeria. I was opportuned to make a photocopy of that result and the person’s passport. Now tell me, if it where to the Vice President that such a thing won’t they condemn Him, just the same way they did to minsiter for finance? The things are some many.

    finally, they should shift their gounds because in every battle you don’t win everything, you win some and lose some. There is no way the federal government will implement all the agreement at once unless they don’t actually want to call off the strike just because they have nothing to loose. when Martin luther king fought for the rights of the blacks, I believe, He went to prison alone and not at the expense of the blacks but ASUU strike is at the detriment of the students. If they say, they are really fighting for the students then do they go on protest against no work, no pay. They should have been the one to demand for that policy and not kick against it. When Nelson fought for south Africa, he alone went to prison, he did not go there with South Africans.

  6. Please ASUU call off the strike in the of our LORD JESUS

  7. Pls call off this strike,it scatterwmed our academic calendar

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