By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi
Worried over the prolong strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Benue State, Mr Ode Ochelle has Implored the Federal Government and the Leadership of the union to return to the negotiation table to enable the students return back to classes.
ASUU has embarked on strike to Press home for the Implementation of the agreement it had entered into with the Federal Government.
The Permanent Secretary who made this call while fielding questions from Journalists in Makurdi on the extension of the industrial action by the union admonished both parties to sheathe their swards and dialogue over the issue towards finding lasting solution.
His words: ” It is upon this basis that I want to call on both parties to sheathe their swards and come back to a round table discusion, give up certain things that they can possibly give up, and I know that these are certain things that can be given up from both parties so they will reach an agreement and call the students back to school.”
Continuing Ochelle noted that ” I think the issue has been unfulfilled promises and agreements that have been reached and that have been breached. If it is true that these agreements are reached, I believe with all honesty that the Federal Government should honour the agreement, and if for any good reason they are not able to honour it, ASUU is an organization of human beings, they are Nigerians.
If they have good reasons like I said for not honouring whatever agreement that have been reached, I believe they should have called ASUU to a round table and said for this reasons understand with us, we are not able to reach this agreement that we had reached and I have the feeling that if that happens, there will be understanding because they are Nigerians.”
The Permanent Secretary pointed out that the negative effect of this prolong strike is having to have these children at home and we all know that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, describing it as a disservice to the nation.
” I want to urge all parties to this agreement to think about the future of our children who are in these schools who are at home, and then the parents of these children what they are passing through. I know that ASUU has the right to talk about their welfare, but even as it is their right for them to do so, I would advise them to do it with a responsibility in the sense that they too are parents”.
He maintained that the effect of the strike is not only on the students, stressing that economically it has affected those whose lives are dependent on doing business around school campuses.
“All these people have been put out of business and for so long out of livelihood, they could join in the crime world because survival is the first thing. Iam not in any way saying that criminal activities are right or justifying it, but certain persons can be pushed to the wall and no one can tell how far they can go in order to survive.
So for this reason and many other reasons , I wish that there should be an understanding among the parties and then call off the strike for the good of all of us.
