*Nigerians say its mere smokes-screen, president unserious
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu, to resolve the prolonged industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other university-based unions.
The President gave the directive Tuesday after receiving briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) involved in the on-going efforts to end the face-off with the university unions.
Buhari had summoned them to get more information on why the strike had persisted for too long.
But a cross-section of Nigerians reacting, said the president is unserious and was only playing to the gallery.
According to them, “an industrial dispute that has lingered for over 150 days (five months) and the president is speaking as if he has interest in resolving the matter? It is mere smokes-screen aimed at diverting peoples attention”.
ASUU had commenced one month warning strike on February 14, and other unions also joined them over the alleged inability of the federal government to fulfill agreements earlier reached with the federal government.
After Tuesday’s briefing, the President reportedly ordered the Education Minister to ensure that the areas of disagreements were sorted out within two weeks and report back to him.
Sources at the meeting also said Buhari directed that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige must be in any of the meetings to resolve the crisis.
The sources added that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, should be part of the team to interface with the striking unions.
Recall that the president had earlier directed the SGF to personally take over the discussions and end it.
But it has bee over three months since the directive was given and nothing tangible had happened.
Nigerians who express lack of confidence in the government handling of the matter, accused public office holders of high level of insensitivity and fuelling corruption, crime and insecurity by making the children of the poor unable to access education.
Some of them accused government of indirectly implementing the agenda of terrorists in “Boko Haram”, meaning education is sinful,” a respondet who claimed to be a top civil servant said.
Another reapondemt who said his three children are students in a federal University said: “How can you convince me that the president is sincere in what you said he has just said?
“Is the appropriate thing not to have sacked Alhaji Adamu and Dr. Ngige and replace both of them with people who are conscious of their responsibilities in public office?
“Or were they playing the president’s script which he is claiming he is unaware of?”
Another parent who said he is an industrialist said, “with another two weeks for them to give him report and probably another two weeks for another committee to review the report and another set of weeks for a White Paper Committee to work on it and another set of weeks for the delayed implementation or another breach altogether?
“But if it is to immediately vote and release money for their frivolous expenditure, he will not require any committee. Meanwhile, we see them posing with their children graduating abroad. Do we have any committee on those? We are finished in this country.”
“These people in government have basterdised the entire system. It is not enough that merit no longer matter in employment since they do secret employment, fixing only their children.
“The also don’t want our children to even learn. This is pure wickedness. I wish God comes down from heaven and do what he ought to have done to rescue us”, some other respondents say.
