The All Progressives Congress
(APC) has said the sack threat
issued against striking
university teachers by the
Federal Government lays
credence to the fact that the
present administration is out
of ideas in resolving the
prolonged strike by the
Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU.
The party’s Interim National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, Sunday, in a
statement released by the
party in Lagos criticized the
Supervising Minister of
Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike,
for the way he talked down on
the striking teachers, while
issuing the ill-advised, go-back-
to-work-or-be-sacked threat.
“Wike’s language was crude,
his presentation was rude and
his threat was demeaning and
counter-productive. We believe
his lack of finesse and the
inability to think out of the box
in handling the whole strike
issue will not bode well for a
quick resolution of the crisis.
“We also disagree with the
Minister’s inference that the
lecturers should automatically
call off the strike because the
President intervened and sat
for long hours with them. It is
this unnecessary deification of
a democratically-elected
President that has almost
turned this President into an
Emperor. What is the big deal
in President Jonathan sitting
with ASUU members, his
former colleagues for that
matter? What is a President
elected to do if not to solve
problems?” it queried.
APC said it is unfortunate that
Wike can be threatening to
sack university teachers at a
time there is a shortfall of
60,000 lecturers in Nigerian
universities, adding that the
threat itself has shown that
the FG does not understand
the enormity of the problems
facing public universities in
particular and the education
sector in general.
“The poor remuneration of
university teachers and the
inadequate facilities for
teaching and learning in our
public universities have
combined to trigger a brain
drain in the institutions. The
pauperization and frustration
of the teachers through the
non-implementation of the
pacts aimed at ameliorating
the situation have discouraged
those who may want to
become university teachers.
Yet, the few who have defied
the odds to take to this noble
path of helping to mold our
future leaders are being
threatened with dismissal.
This betrays a painful lack of
understanding of the long and
tortuous path it takes to
produce a university teacher.
“It also shows that the so-
called Supervising Minister of
Education is not better than
the misguided market women
who, having being hired and
paid to protest against ASUU,
threatened to invade the
universities to chase out the
lecturers if they won’t call off
the strike.
“This is what a country gets
when it puts round pegs in
square holes. It is not everyone
who can mobilize campaign
funds for the President or
organize thugs during an
election who should be
rewarded with a ministerial
post, not to talk of being given
such a sensitive ministry as
that of education, which is
directly responsible for the
future of our youth and of
course our country. No one
who knows the value of
education will toe the path
taken by Wike in issuing his
empty threat,” the party said.
It said ASUU was right in
demanding certain
benchmarks, including the
non-victimization clause and
the need for a senior
government official, like the
Attorney-General, to sign the
agreement, before calling off
its strike, in view of the fact
that the FG has a history of
reneging on its agreements.
“Yes, our party is eager for this
prolonged strike to end so that
our youths who have been
marooned at home for five
months can resume their
academic pursuit. Yes, we
believe this strike has gone on
for way too long, and that it
will impact negatively on our
country’s development in the
long run. But we believe the
issues at stake must be
resolved once and for all, so
that we won’t have a repeat of
these recurring strikes.
“The onus rests on the FG to
work with ASUU to resolve this
lingering crisis. President
Jonathan should get off his
high horse, roll up his sleeves
as Presidents elsewhere do
and tackle squarely what has
now become one of the
biggest challenges facing his
administration.
“However, if the Jonathan
administration has run out of
ideas, as we now fear it has,
going by the infantile threats
being issued by it, then let it
hands off the negotiations and
allow other stakeholders to
find a way out. We are all
stakeholders in the education
of our youths,” APC said.http://www.informationng.com/2013/12/ASUU-strike-apc-slams-fg-over-sack-threat-says-wike-lacks-ability-to-think-outside-the-box.html

did i still hear sumbdy say dat dis strike is not being politicized

Dz APC self, d too talk. I tire 4 una. Must u pple exploit every opportunity to show d level of stupidity dt runs 2ru una blood. SHAMELESS DISPLAY OF CHILDISHNESS.

Well..this is getting more intresting!

Lai mohamed.......
......breaking new grounds in imbe-stupidity since 1875.
APC "GO AND DIE"

Interestine

APC with their madness, they've started again God will deal with them one by one.