Ahead of next February 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed concern over the face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, (ASUU) and the federal government.
Addressing participants at a one-day seminar on “Media and Gender Sensitive Reporting on Elections,” National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voters Education Committee, INEC, Barrister Festus Okoye said failure by both parties to resolve the strike could frustrate the electoral body logistics for the election.
ALSO READ: 2019: Security agencies should curtail the menace of vote buying and selling ― INEC
Barrister Okoye who gave one million as the figure of ad-hoc staff needed for the forthcoming elections further noted that most of the returning officers, presiding officers, collation officers, amongst others, would be sourced from the pool of university lecturers and graduate students who would be observing the mandatory national youth service.
He said: “The lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) will no doubt have a serious impact on the preparations for the conduct of the 2019 elections.
“It is therefore important that students of federal tertiary institutions should and must be in school at least a month before the February 16 Presidential and National Assembly elections. They are one critical resource and their absence will have adverse effects on the ad hoc staff requirement of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.”
Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that university lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike on November 4, demanding improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government.
A recent meeting between the leadership of ASUU, led by its national president, Biodun Ogunyemi and the federal government team led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, ended in a deadlock as the ASUU walked out from the meeting.
•Why naira should trade below N1,000/$ — Expert Reduction of the spread between parallel…
WAVE of defections across the major political parties in the country may have significantly altered…
In a frantic pace to expedite action on claims settlement, the Nigerian insurance industry is…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), deploying various reform measures, has curtailed the once-wide…
Entrepreneurship is essentially about problem solving through creative thinking. Creativity is thinking outside of…
This website uses cookies.