NANS, Muslim students urge government to comply with agreement

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the Federal Government to comply with its agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The President of NANS, Chinonso Obasi, made the call in a statement to education correspondents yesterday in Abuja.

The union commended ASUU and government for their maturity in handling the matter, which led to the suspension of the strike.

He said: “Dialogue is always the panacea for crisis and the suspension of the strike was a welcome development. It would bring relief not only to the students, but also to their parents, as they would go back to school to continue with their studies.

“NANS, however, believes that just as ASUU had demonstrated responsibility, faith and understanding, the Federal Government should also demonstrate a sense of responsibility by complying with the understanding it reached with it, to avert another level of face-off with ASUU in the near future.”

The union also urged the Federal Government to give priority to investment in the educational sector for the benefit of the country.

They condemned a situation where students are compelled to spend longer time than necessary to complete their studies, due to incessant strikes.

According to them, they are always at the receiving end whenever strikes are declared and asked ASUU to always consult with NANS’s leadership as critical stakeholders in the sector, before declaring any strike.

Obasi lamented the falling standard of education in the country and its effect on the human capital development in the future.

In announcing the suspension, the President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, had said the “conditional suspension of the strike,” was up to the end of October to allow the Federal Government to fulfill its agreement.

Ogunyemi said: “ASUU will not hesitate to review its position, should the government renege on its MoU. Let us give a precautionary advice; should the government unilaterally vary the agreements it signed with our union, we should not be held responsible for the consequences.”

Meanwhile, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State area unit, has commended ASUU for agreeing to suspend its action.

The students warned the Federal Government not to renege on the agreement that resulted in the ‘conditional’ suspension of strike.

A statement by the President of the MSSN in Lagos, Saheed Ashafa, said the understanding showed by ASUU proved that the lecturers were genuinely interested in the development of education in the country, adding that it would be saddening to see the universities closing down again in a short time.

He said: “The government should justify the sacrifice of ASUU for taking this good decision in the interest of the students by fulfilling its part of the agreement. We understand what it takes to make this enormous sacrifice at this point in time.”