President Muhammadu Buhari has begged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which is on strike, to reconsider their stance on the prolonged strike.
The president made the call while hosting some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, legislators, and political leaders at his Daura residence in Katsina State.
He assured them that the government understood their position and that negotiations with students in lecture halls would continue.
Buhari expressed concern in a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, that the strike had generational ramifications for families, the educational system, and the country’s future development.
The President stated that the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students, and other stakeholders, raising many moral issues that needed to be addressed.
Buhari stated that the country’s future was dependent on the quality of educational institutions and education.
“We hope that ASUU will sympathize with the people who have been on strike for a long time.” Enough is enough for students to stay at home. “For God’s sake, don’t harm the next generation,” he said.
The President urged all well-meaning Nigerians, particularly those close to the association’s leaders and members, to intervene in persuading the lecturers to reconsider their position and the consequences for an entire generation and the nation.
According to Buhari, students from Nigerian universities will face the challenge of competing with others in a highly connected and technology-driven work environment, and keeping them at home will only deprive them of time, skill, and opportunities to be relevant on the global stage.
“Colonial education was designed to produce government workers.” Those jobs are no longer available. Our youth should receive education to prepare them for self-employment. Education is no longer for the sake of education.
“We are much more efficient thanks to technology.” “We should encourage our children to get an education rather than simply looking for government jobs,” he added.
Buhari stated that resources should be directed more toward infrastructure and operations in the health and education sectors, rather than expanding the bureaucracy to create job opportunities.
