CAN warns ASUU, FG, over strike

As the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) continued with its strike action, the president of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr Samson Ayokunle, on Wednesday, warned parties to the crisis against playing with the future of the students and the country.

Besides, the clergy also said Nigerians should not play politics with the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The CAN president said this while speaking with newsmen in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital during a visit to the state chairman of the association, Bishop John Ibenu.

Ayokunle expressed regret that the education sector of the country was being thrown into another round of crises.

He said allowing the lecturers to embark on the strike and close down many of the nation’s universities amounted to mortgaging the future of the students in those institutions.

He said there was the need for the union and the federal government to engage in solid deliberations that could put a final stop to the incessant strike action.

The CAN president said, “I think this issue (ASUU strike) has been on ground for too long, let there be a parley between ASUU and Government. We are playing with the future of the younger generation so let us show them love, don’t let us allow our children to grow up hating us hating the nation.

“Strike today strike tomorrow I beg both parties to exercise patients and understanding, maturity. We know that the economy is going upsidedown, we believe that as we are praying for those managing the economy they will come out strong and be able to proffer solution.”

On president Buhari’s health, Ayokunle said, ” the position of CAN is that, we should follow the constitution, we have the constitution to guide us, so whatever the constitution says let us follow it, we drew it ourselves so let us not break it.

“Let us continue to pray for him, we play with the life of a human being, and nobody wants to fall sick so don’t let us continue to make politics out of sickness. Let us continue to pray for him”.

Ibenu however informed the president about the efforts of the association at maintaining peace and tranquility in the state.

He also said CAN in the state had been protecting the interest of its members during the screening exercise embarked upon by the state government.