ASUU strike hits its 140th day as SERAP and others make fun of the FG

 ASUU strike hits its 140th day as SERAP and others make fun of the FG

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), and his administration have come under fire for the protracted suspension of academic activities in the country's tertiary institutions, according to the Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project and other education rights organizations like the Reform Education Nigeria and Education Rights Campaign.

The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and other Allied Institutions' strike, which started on March 25, 2022, entered its 68th day today, according to The MEDIA, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities' strike entered its 140th day on Monday (today).

While the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union has just started a two-month strike, the National Executive Council of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics is now convening in Jigawa State after calling off a two-week warning strike.

Kolawole Oluwadare, the deputy director of SERAP, said in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday that the government's refusal to comply with ASUU's demands, carry out the agreement it had with the union, and satisfactorily resolve the issues has kept poor Nigerian children at home while those of the nation's politicians attend private schools.

According to Oluwadare, educational disparities have a snowball effect that causes them to grow over time.

"The right to education is not only a fundamental human right but also an enabling right. Without education, people lack the capacity to perform worthwhile functioning as a part of the living. Education gives people the voice through which rights can be claimed and protected.

People can acquire the knowledge, abilities, and confidence necessary to gain other rights if they have access to education. People can receive knowledge outlining their range of rights and the responsibility of the government thanks to education.

Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, the programme director for Reform Education Nigeria, criticized the silence of important stakeholders over the academic closure in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday.

"It is saddening that the government has continued to allow negotiations to go on with no apparent resolution in sight," Oluwatoyin added. The negotiations with the unions must urgently be taken over by the Presidency.

Additionally, Michael Lenin, co-convener of the Education Rights Campaign, stated that "the government must be held accountable for these striking actions that have grounded tertiary education.

"It is highly unusual that all the major unions in the tertiary education sector are on strike at the same time, but it demonstrates the degree of harm that successive administrations' neglect via chronic under-funding has done to the educational system."

Calls and texts sent to Chris Ngige's phone number on Sunday were unanswered as of the time this story was being submitted, despite the fact that he has referred to himself as the minister of reconciliation between the Federal Government and the unions.

As soon as Dr. Anderson Ezeibe, ASUP's national president, was reached, he announced that the union's National Executive Council will begin meeting on Tuesday.

"Our NEC is starting its meeting on Tuesday, and a strike may be called if we are still dissatisfied with the degree of implementation of our requests so far," he stated.

On Sunday night, it was unable to reach Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the national president of ASUU, for comment.

Similar to this, Muhammed Ibrahim, the National President of the Joint Action Committee of the SSANU, NASU, and NAAT, did not return calls or SMS.