President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, July 11, in Daura, Katsina State revisited the issue of the prolonged strike which has left students at home for months, telling leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that enough is enough.
The president called on ASUU to reconsider their position on the continued strike, expressing worry that the hiatus will have generational consequences on families, the educational system, and the future development of the country.
He stated this when he received some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), legislators, and political leaders at his residence.
According to him, the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students, and other stakeholders, throwing up many moral issues that already beg for attention.
President Buhari noted that the future of the country rests on the quality of educational institutions and education while assuring that the government understands its position, and negotiations should continue, with students in lecture halls.
“We hope that ASUU will sympathise with the people on the prolonged strike. Truly, enough is enough for keeping students at home. Don’t hurt the next generation for goodness sake,” he said.
The president called on all well-meaning Nigerians, particularly those close to the leaders and members of the association, to intervene in persuading the lecturers to reconsider their position and the ripple effect on an entire generation and the nation.
President Buhari said students from Nigerian universities will be faced with the challenge of competing with others in a highly connected and technology-driven workspace, and keeping them at home only deprives them of time, skill, and opportunities to be relevant on the global stage.
“Colonial type education was geared towards producing workers in government. Those jobs are no longer there. Our young people should get an education to prepare them for self-employment. Now education is for the sake of education.
“Through technology, we are much more efficient. We should encourage our children to get an education, not only to look for government jobs,” he added.
President Buhari said resources should be channeled more into building infrastructure and operations of the health and educational sector, not to expand the bureaucracy to create job opportunities.
