The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that, the incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have become the gravest threat to the country’s university system.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu (SAN), in a statement in Abuja over the weekend, observed that Nigerian students have been deprived of the enjoyment of their right to education over the years, and this has made them victims of industrial disharmony between the federal government and ASUU.
He said, ASUU has embarked on incessant nationwide strikes, during which students have lost cumulative period of years of the academic calendar.
According to Ojukwu, the effect of ASUU strikes has been devastating to the Nigerian university system by way of watering down the quality of education offered to Nigerian students.
He expressed disappointment that the government will allow this kind of situation to linger thereby jeopardizing the future of the youth as leaders of tomorrow.
The NHRC boss, further stated that, “the situation has resulted in half-baked students and graduates who are unemployable and lack the basic skills necessary to survive dynamic environments like Nigeria and the rest of the world”
He the appealed to the federal government to get back to the negotiation table with ASUU and to ensure that the previous agreements reached with the union are implemented honestly to best of its ability to avoid further escalation of the matter.
Ojukwu also urged ASUU to think out of the box for other strategies not using incessant strikes to press for their demands as the strike strategy has killed Education in this country, even as he said, poor funding of universities, lack of payment of promotion arrears, earned academic allowance, poor funding of state universities among others, as demanded by ASUU are genuine concerns that the government should not overlook, given that they are germane to the growth of the universities.
Besides, NHRC boss advised National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), not to do anything that will violate the rights of other Nigerians, like blocking of federal highways, as its South-West branch allegedly did recently, saying that such action is a clear a violation of the rights of other road users.
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