Committee of Pro-Chancellors pleads with ASUU to shelve planned nationwide strike
As the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are getting set for another round of nationwide strike, the Chairman, Committee of Pro Chancellors of state-owned universities in Nigeria, Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali (SAN), has appealed to the leadership of the body to shelve the planned strike.
Ali said the appeal became imperative so as to assist the country’s educational system and future of the concerned students from total collapse.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Friday, during the official handing-over ceremony of 10,000 exercise books by the Yusuf Olaolu Ali Foundation to the Osun State Government, Ali said: “This is not the best of time for our educational system to be put in a coma based on implications of strike.
“As the chairman of the Committee of Pro Chancellors of state-owned universities, with 48 members, I should know that this is not the best of times for our educational system to be put in a coma.
“What do I mean? I want to appeal to the leadership of ASUU and their members to have a larger look at the implications of all these strikes, not only on our standard of education, but on the acceptability of our certificates outside the country.
“Anybody who follows closely issues of university ranking, one of the greatest criteria used is the stability of educational calendar, which we have been missing for years in our country.
“So, I want to appeal as a parent, a citizen and as an educationist, that ASUU should pursue other methods to get whatever is their right from the governments, knowing that it is common knowledge that Nigerian economy is in a doldrums and that Nigeria has too many unsatisfied social interventions be it in infrastructure, health, even water supply. This type of strike leads to more problems than offering solutions.”
The legal luminary added: “I also want to appeal to the government not to ever enter into any agreement they know they don’t have the wherewithal to see through.
“Government should not at any point succumb to social pressure to agree to things they don’t have the capacity to accomplish.
“Government should also look at whatever they can do to ameliorate the condition of our academic and our tertiary institutions generally, which calls attention to stark reality that no government can fund education all by itself.”
He noted further that: “I’m speaking from experience being the Pro-Chancellor of Osun State University for six years. I know what it takes to navigate very turbulent ocean of payment of salaries, emolument in the face of dwindling public resources.”
Ali, who stated further that the foundation was established in 2009, said it had taken practical steps in its different areas of intervention to ease the plight of the poor.
He said: “In the area of healthcare for instance, the foundation has built a Trauma Centre, a Renal Dialysis Centre, renovated a part of a General Hospital and assists over 600 patients to settle hospital bills within and outside Nigeria over the years.
“In education, the foundation awards annual scholarships to a specified number of students in Ilorin and lfetedo. It has also built e-Resource Centre, e-Library and hostels in several higher institutions of learning in the country.
“It also has an annual scholarship to pay the WAEC and NECO fees of 50 indigent students of Ibadan Boys High School in lbadan, Oyo State, and also supports indigent law students to settle part of their Law School fees to mention but a few.”
-Thisday
