PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday charged the striking university lecturers in the country to show patriotism as the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) entered its fourth month.
President Jonathan, who spoke in Ado Ekiti, while on a visit to Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) to commission the College of Engineering building of ABUAD, said ASUU members should understand that other sectors of the economy also needed so many things as, according to him, “they are also not operating in the best environment.”
He said: “I want to beg ASUU to reconsider its stand on the current impasse rocking our universities which has kept students out of the universities for four months. This hard stand and protracted crisis could endanger the collective destiny of millions of the future leaders because the future of the country should not be derailed on the altar of industrial dispute.
“We plead that they should temper anger with patriotism. It would have been a different thing if government has not been listening to their grievances or not ready to honour their agreements. But we have promised that all agreements will be honoured. So, they should reconsider their stand.
“If the strike is borne out of genuine intention, I want to believe that ASUU has been able to prove a point by keeping students out of school for four months. And if it is borne out of other reasons, they still need to believe that no sector of the economy is operating at its best.
“The military, police and other paramilitary organisations including all the politicians are not operating in the best environment and if we all go on strike, we will ground the nation. But I promise that we will continue to strive to provide environment that would enhance optimum performances for better future of our nation.”
President Jonathan described ABUAD College of Engineering as a masterpiece and a challenge to individuals, faith-based and non governmental organisations to join hands in building Nigeria that would be a pride of all.
Speaking on the occasion, founder of ABUD, Chief Afe Babalola, said he had expended N60billion to bring the university to a world class institution and called on the Federal Government to extend its hand of fellowship to private universities in Nigeria in the area of research to provide Nigerians with quality education.
Governor Kayode Fayemi on the occasion appealed to the Federal Government to pay N12 billion expended by the Ekiti State government on roads classified as federal roads in the state, pointing out that the state had got only N2 billion out of the N14 billion the state had expended on the renovation of federal roads in the state.
While reacting to the governor’s request, the President said that the Federal Government would construct an airport and a secretariat in Ekiti. Fayemi, had in his address, decried the non-existence of the facilities in the state.
In a related development, President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday appealed to disengaged workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) not to go on strike over delay in paying their severance packages, assuring that government was doing all that was necessary to ensure that they got paid.
The President made the appeal while commissioning the 500MW Omotosho II Power Station built by the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) in Ondo State, noting that there was no need for industrial action as government was committed to paying them all that was due to them.
Citing the experience in banking and the telecom sector, he said with the commitment of his administration to privatizing the power sector and the progress being recorded, the issue of power would soon be taken for granted in the country.
“We like to reassure all PHCN workers, our dear labour leaders that have not received their full severance packages that government is working hard to make sure that all of you get what is due to you. There is no need for industrial action,” he said.
Jonathan reiterated his promised to ensure that power was relatively stable in the country next year, saying, “We promise that before the middle of next year, light will be reasonably, I am not saying total, light will be reasonably stabilized in the country.”
The President added that the target of government was to add 4700mw to the existing power generating capacity with the commissioning of all the 10 power plants being built by the NIPP.
-Tribune
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