Elder statesman berates ASUU over continued strike

Elder statesman and Secretary to the Lagos State Government in the Second Republic, Chief Olorunfunmi Basorun has berated the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the continued closure of Universities, saying the leadership of ASUU is toying with the future of Nigerian students.

He spoke just as aviation workers under the aegis of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) faulted the “lackadaisical” attitude of the Federal Government towards resolving the imbroglio brought about in the first place by failing to play its part in the agreement with ASUU, saying, “Our children are entitled to qualitative undisrupted tertiary education.”

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It however alerted aviation workers of a possible solidarity industrial action over the continued ASUU strike.

Chief Basorun, a member of the elders’ Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos in a chat with Daily Trust criticised the response of ASUU to the appeal by President Muhammadu Buhari to call off the strike last week.

He said bringing up an agreement reached in 2009 as a basis for continuing the strike was wrong, asking them to suspend the strike while they continue the negotiation.

According to him, ASUU’s response to the appeal of the President whom he described as the father of the nation was an insult to Nigerians.

He said, “The President early in the week made an appeal to them and the way they responded to the appeal, to my mind, they insulted the intelligence of all Nigerians. 

“This is the father of Nigerians today. He did not order them to go back to work. He appealed to them. 

“To me they are the most wicked Nigerians we have today, those who constituted the running of ASUU. They comprised so-called educated, renowned Professors in every field and yet they are unable to sit down and think about the future of those who are going to occupy the positions they are occupying now.

“They are toying with it, talking about salaries, talking about agreements reached in 2009, 14 years ago. I think they are insulting Nigerians. Children are in school for the past five years, they are unable to graduate.” 

But  NUATE in a statement by its General Secretary, Ocheme Aba said the ongoing strike has “done incalculable and irreversible damage to the educational trajectory of Nigerian children, especially those from the poor stock who are unable to afford the high cost of private education.”

“This situation is deeply worrying, to say the least. NUATE, therefore, completely supports the position of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to the effect that Government must immediately resolve the prolonged ASUU strike. It is totally unacceptable to allow the education of the children of poor workers, and other indigent citizens, to be so badly truncated as to become worthless.

Accordingly, aviation workers nationwide are hereby notified to remain at alert for commencement of solidarity industrial action that may be directed by the NLC and its affiliates on the matter which may come at short notice.”