By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Nigerian students have express delight with decision by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its two months strike, describing it as a welcome development to the educational sector of the country.
The decision to suspend the strike followed a meeting between ASUU and the minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige saying both parties had come to the end of deliberation on the matter.
“We have made lots of progress and agreed on the Union’s demands and we produced what we called ‘Collective Agreement of Action’, but ASUU calls it Memorandum of Action because they want implementation,” he said.
Some of the students who spoke with AFRICA PRIME NEWS expressed delight that the strike did not take a long time as envisaged by some of them.
Paul Adamu from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria said, “lt has not been easy staying at home not knowing when you will resume your academic activities. Honestly, it has been very devastating all these while living a hopeless life not knowing when the strike will be called off.
“I personally want to commend efforts of both the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the federal government made towards ensuring that academic activities of universities in the country resume without any delay.”
Rose Peter of University of Maiduguri said that both ASUU and the federal government have shown they have listening ears to the cry of students and other stakeholders towards finding lasting situation to the lingering challenges universities are going through in the country.
She called on the federal government to ensure that the agreement reached with ASUU are strictly adhered to for steady and uninterrupted academic activities in public universities.
A student, who want to remain anonymous, said steps be taken to ensure that there is a law that prohibit all Nigerians from sending their children abroad, stressing that it would be the only way for government to be serious with education in the country.
Abdullahi Ibrahim, a stakeholder, noted that the way strikes are being carried out do not speak well of the seriousness of government towards tackling various challenges confronting Nigerians, “We should be sincere as a people to take serious and ensure those coming after us lead the affairs of the country the seriousness it deserves, ” he observed.
