The issue of the ASUU strike isn’t new to every Nigerian student studying in a Government owned tertiary institution. Currently, ASUU has been on strike for almost seven months, and all efforts to resolve the strike have proved abortive.
Sunday Ashefon, the president of the National Association of Nigerian students, has stated that the issue of the ASUU strike is a problem for which they have little or no say, it’s not in their capacity to resolve the strike.
According to Ashefon, in the 40th-anniversary celebration of NANS which was held in their branch at Abuja, tertiary education in Nigeria has been going through a rough patch for the past few years, as recently, we’ve seen the entire sector collapse. The issue has gone beyond the powers of NANS as it is only a student body, It all balls down to the entire nation to rise and intervene in the matter.
He further stated that this is definitely not an image Nigeria would want to paint for itself, as the giant of Africa. As every other sector is suffering from the effects of the collaspe of the educational sector in Nigeria.
He said, “Perhaps the tertiary education sector in Nigeria is faced with one of the strongest tests in our history in the last few years. We have witnessed the total collapse of the sector as a result of the incessant strike.
“This challenge alone is bigger than what any NANS administration could resolve. However, our nation’s education system is on the brink and the entire nation must rise to the rescue. Where we go from here as a nation is dependent on how we collectively gather the crackers of the collapsing education system and rebuild it together as a nation.
“Nigeria does not belong here, our tertiary education system does not belong here and this is already taking its tore on the nation’s economy, security, and faith of the young people in the nation and its education system. We all must rise to the rescue.”
“As we celebrate today, let us remember that we are only gathered here because education is part of our story and life, we must therefore do all it takes to ensure this part of our national life does not become a story of the past”.
He made this statement as a result of the Allegations laid against them, that they are not trying to resolve the issues between ASUU and Federal government. Truly there isn’t much they can’t do they are only a student body. It still tallies down to the federal government trying to reason with ASUU.
