By Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
2023 Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), presidential hopeful, Mr Peter Obi, has expressed worry about the continued strike action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and apparent neglect of Nigerian students by the leaders of the country.
Speaking recently on Politics Today on Channels TV, Obi said that it is unfair to the students and to the nation at large that most people were fixated on 2023 elections while the most critical assets of the nation- students, are neglected.
According to him, our universities are closed for months and we, as political leaders, are not even talking about it, rather we are focused on 2023 elections; our children are at home, at a time when education is the most critical asset of any nation. It is a very painful situation.
He noted that it was agreed, as far back as 2010, that the university union will be given N1 trillion for the revitalisation of universities in Nigeria by the Federal Government. N100 billion was also agreed to be given to the union by the government to enable them clear off the backlog of their allowances, but subsequent governments failed to honour the agreements and this has resulted in incessant strike actions by ASUU, a situation, he said, is detrimental to the future of Nigeria.
Obi said, if the government was committed to paying the union, it would have paid at least N50 billion every year, and by now, N600 billion would have been paid off and the strike action will not be happening.
He stated that the job of a leader is to provide solutions to the challenges facing his people and not to trade blames as no leader can give 100 per cent result, but a leader is expected to commit 100 per cent efforts in providing solutions to different problems.
The presidential hopeful, called on government to take urgent steps to ensure that the strike action is ended and students return to schools, for the betterment of the nation.
