BEVERLY HILLS, CA, October 07, (THEWILL) – The Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Safety and National Security, Hon. Eddie Ifeanyichukwu Mbadiwe, on Tuesday, appealed to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to sheathe their swords in the interest of the nation.
He also urged President Goodluck Jonathan to “set up a crack team comprising five of his best ministers to work with the National Assembly and ASUU to resolve this logjam within three weeks.”
The lawmaker lamented that “The current ASUU strike has gone on for more than three months with no end in sight as both government and ASUU are stubbornly dug in their trenches.”
He added that “The chasm only seems to be widening by the day with claims and counterclaims, ” stressing that ”The sole victim is Nigeria and the beneficiaries are Ghana and other neighbouring countries and for those who can afford it in Europe and America.”
He expressed concern that no Nigerian university was listed among the first 1,000 in the world as he lamented the impasse, pointing out that ASUU’s demand may have a ‘snowball effect’ if the members insist on continuing with the strike action.
“I am a realist and I am in a position to know the budget of this country which is N4.9 trillion. If you look at the figures being put forward by ASUU, it is close to N1 trillion .If anybody should take out N1 trillion from that budget, there is going to be a snowball effect because all other unions will come with their demands.
“ASUU has a strong case but I don’t think Government can pay that money in one bulk. There has to be give and take so that our children can go back to school.
“A major problem that must be addressed is the underfunding of the education sector and that Nigeria must agree to commit at least 2.5 percent of our GDP to education. Anything less will only amount to scratching the surface, ” Mbadiwe said.
