NIREC: CAN President urge ASUU to call off strike

The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Co-chairman of Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC), His Eminence, Reverend Samson Ayokunle has stressed the need for a drastic decision to be taken to address the face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities which has plunged the university lecturers into strike.

Reverend Ayokunle gave the indication at the first quarter 2022 meeting of NIREC on Monday in Abuja.

The meeting has as its theme “Education for peace and nation building”

In his address, the christian leader expressed displeasure over the decision of the academic body to declare strike despite ongoing intervention from him and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar who is also the Co-chairman of NIREC. He also described the ‘hasty’ decision of ASUU as disrespectful.

He said “I am not pleased with ASUU because they were impatient. I and the Co-chairman and others went to meet with them, instead of them to be patient with us, to know how to get the government to commit itself, they went and declared the strike again while our intervention was going on.

“To me, that was not respectful enough. That was the reason we left them. But for how long shall we continue to allow the impasse between government and ASUU to continue?

“Our children are the ones suffering for it and our future because the future are our children the lord God has given to us. How can they be playing with the future of these children like this?

“A times the government also does not allow us to believe that they don’t have the money. It was at that time when they were saying that no money to answer ASUU, that the government went and donated 1 million dollar to Afghanistan. How reasonable is that? When you have your own Afghanistan here at home you have not taking care of, you are donating to another one. Who will believe that you don’t have money?

“We need to take a drastic decision about this impasse between ASUU and the Federal government which is running to months now without any solution in sight”, he added.

Speaking on the insecurity issues in Nigeria and making reference to Kaduna State recent airport attack, the Reverend urged security agencies to step up their game and ensure that this incident don’t repeat itself.

On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar emphasised the need for education stressing that it is the bedrock for any meaningful development.

He further called on religious leaders all over the world to always speak against violence and bloodshed.

“We are all concern as religious leaders in the Russian and Ukraine crisis, as the blood of the innocent is been shed. We have to always speak against violence wherever it is. As religious leaders if we don’t do so, we would face serious questions from our creator who gave us such privilege to be who we are. As religious leaders, we must always speak the truth”, he stressed.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha who was represented by his permanent secretary, Maurice Mbaeri Nnamdi while commending NIREC for intervening in the matter between the Federal Government and ASUU, charged them to continue to appeal to ASUU to call off its strike.