The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has described the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as a selfish and hypocritical union.
NANS said that while SUU is agitating for funds for infrastructure development in Nigerian universities, its primary motive for the industrial action is the payment of members earned allowances.
The student union’s President, Comrade Danielson Akpan, in an interview, argued that on several occasions when the Federal Government permitted the students’ union to attend the negotiation meetings it had with ASUU, the leadership of ASUU rejected it.
According to him, if there is nothing ASUU is hiding from the students’ union, why would it on two occasions, reject their representatives.
“ASUU said they are fighting for the students and at the same time denied students’ union representatives access to the negotiation meeting to contribute to the discussion or even act as observers.
“It is only in Nigeria that you have education sector sold into strike as it were, without recourse to the students; without giving a thought to the challenges it brings to the sector. Our people fail to understand that incessant strike reduces the quality of education.
“How do you expect a student that has been at home for two months to be able to cope with academics? People study, knowing that there are lectures, assignments and may be in preparation for examinations.”
To the government, Akpan said: “the government cannot constantly reach agreement and floor the agreement, it is unacceptable.
“However, when these two interests begin to clash, it is the students that suffer and of course, the parents. You will agree with me that the parents have spent more within the past few months in taking care of their wards and their children.
“Of what benefit is this strike to our system? If we say it is because of poor funding of the sector, strike has been on for at least two decades and has not in any way improved the system.”
Source: Vanguard
