CONCERNED by the prolonged strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities, a group, African Students Education Support Initiative (ASESI), has urged the students across the country to vote for candidates who have a clear vision for education in the forthcoming general elections.
Executive Director of ASESI, Mr Chinonso Obasi, who decried the prolonged strike in a statement in Abuja on Monday said that the level of development in any nation could only be best assessed or adjudged by the inherent educational standard in terms of stability and growth.
Obasi noted that reports have revealed that Nigerian students have now resulted in armed robbery, commercial sex activities, drug addiction and other inimical social vices because of the prolonged ASUU strike.
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He said the nonchalant attitude of the Nigerian Government towards education sector was a direct means of denying Nigerian students access to having good life and as well an indirect means of pushing them into anti-social activities and other forms of crime.
He said it was worrisome that the supposed giant of Africa (Nigeria) has continually not shown genuine concerns and enthusiasm on the nation’s education sector; thereby posing serious danger to the future of the country and her future leaders.
He said it was embarrassing that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world with an estimated population of 13.2 million according to recent reports.
He said: “It must be stressed that the strike embarked upon by ASUU has continued to do more harm than good to Nigerian Students and this is evident in the independent assessment exercise carried out by ASESI volunteers in all the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
“The condition of Nigerian students currently is worse than flood and insurgency victims, Obasi said.
“The negligence of sector education by Nigerian Government is one that the aftermath effect will be more disastrous than terrorist attacks. It’s a big shame to Nigeria that 2019 General election is around the corner, yet those (the Nigerian students) who own more than 26% of the votes are left unattended to, what a nation!”.
He, therefore, urged “Nigerian students to shun politicians who have no clear vision of how to positively impact the standard of education and welfare of Nigerian students for better outcomes”.
He lamented that majority of the politicians send their beloved ones to overseas to acquire the best of education while the educational system in their constituencies are left unattended, describing the imbalance and injustice as a monumental fraud that must be interrogated.
“The Nigerian Government as a matter of urgency should speedily meet the demands of the impoverished lecturers of the tertiary institutions in Nigeria to enable students return to school as we are set to declare Nigerian students as internally displaced persons(IDP) any moment from now should the federal government fail to address the ASUU issue”, Obasi said.
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