ASUU strike: FG playing with nation’s education sector ― Opeyemi Falegan

A philanthropist and politician, Opeyemi Falegan has said that the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) if not quickly resolved may lead to the total collapse of the nation’s tertiary education.

The founder of ‘ Opeyemi David Falegan Foundation’ (ODF) gave the assertion in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday. Falegan, who had earlier this year distributed over 2,000 UTME forms to students across Ekiti State through his foundation expressed dissatisfaction over the prolonged industrial Strike.

The philanthropist regrets that most affected students and their parents, ” are people who are struggling to change their lives through education.”

According to him, ” The continued strike action embarked upon by the ASUU to press home their demands from the Federal Government which is now over six months had greatly affected the masses.

“It is disheartening, callous and unfortunate that the government officials who can afford to give their children and siblings better education abroad or through standard private schools in Nigeria cannot come to a term with ASUU in order to allow the children of the masses back to classrooms.”

Falegan noted that the strike action has continued to cause untoward hardship on the students and their parents, hence ” the need for warring factions to as a matter of urgency make necessary sacrifices to end the strike.”

“It is unfortunate that money being stolen in the country by single individuals can pay the ASUU demands more than 10 times, but the government has continued to blame its inability to meet the same demands on lack of funds.

“Logically, people would be expecting the Nigerian government to use the current hike in the pump prices of all petroleum products the world over as an opportunity to meet some of its obligations, especially ASUU demands.

It is disheartening, ridiculous and absurd that the Nigerian government is still complaining of lack of resources when other countries are declaring surplus on income being generated from petroleum products,” he said.

Falegan, however, called on Nigerians to use the 2023 general elections to their advantage by voting for candidates who are capable of developing the country with all sincerity.

According to him, “the general elections are another opportunity for all Nigerians to take their destiny into their hands by doing the needful through ballot boxes.

“The development will usher in a new crop of politicians who will deliver the dividends of democracy to the people especially the Nigerian masses across the board.

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