The Federal Government on
September 4, 2013,
Wednesday, rebuked
university lecturers, ASUU,
over their ongoing indefinite
strike.
Mr. Labaran Maku, the Minister
of Information, announced the
government's attitude to the
strike while speaking to the
reporters on September 4,
2013, Wednesday, after the
weekly meeting of the
Executive Council of the
Federation, FEC, in Abuja.
"This country belongs to all of
us, if we all insist that every
sector problem must be
completely solved, we will
down tools we will not work,
then the country will stop
working," he said.
The Minister of Information also
pointed out that if all the
sectors of government decide
to down their tools until all their
problems are solved, the
country would shut down.
Mr. Labaran Maku insisted that
the Government implements a
2009 agreement it had with the
Union.
"We are partners with ASUU, we
are friends. They are our
patriots and we understand the
critical role that the universities
teachers are doing to create a
new society that we are hoping
to have.
"But at the same time, this is a
reality question that we need to
look at and we have to put the
nation first," he said.
The Minister also said the
Federal Government has spent a
lot on the development of
tertiary education across the
country, appealed to the
lecturers to have a rethink on
its demands by considering the
fact that there are many other
competing demands from other
sectors.
He said outside of security,
education is one of the sectors
the government had expended
a lot of money on.
"I know all of us desire more
from the system but the truth is
that there are limitations and
from the limitations we have,
we believe that ASUU really
needs to do rethink and ensure
that we reopen our universities
because really we are feeling
the pain of our children being
at home and this indeed is
completely avoidable," he said.
"Don't forget that in 2010 we
announced a 53.4 per cent
increase on public salaries
across board which affected all
people in the public service that
has still left a huge deficit in the
annual budget of the country.
"I just want to say that it is
unfortunate that our students
are still at home. It is very sad
because the federal
government has done so much
in the last three years for
education."
ASUU STRIKE: FG CALLS UNIVERSITY LECTURERS TO BE REALISTIC
