Connect with us

Politics

Sowore brands Buhari’s govt despicable, as ASUU, COEASU strikes linger

Published

on

DSS confirms Sowore’s arrest, States reason

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) on Thursday lamented the indifference of the Muhammadu Buhari-led adminstration towards the industrial actions embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).

Sowore, in a series of tweets, accused the government of playing games with the future of vulnerable Nigerian students, stressing the consequences for the country.

ASUU embarked on its strike in February to press home its demands from the federal government.

Till date, no significant truce has been reached towards resolutions as meetings between the government and the union had always ended in stalemate.

The Federal Executive Council of COEASU also announced its one-month strike beginning from June 14 2022 to make the federal government attend to its lingering demands.

The announcement was disclosed in a communique issued and signed by the COEASU president, Dr Smart Olugbedo and his Secretary, Dr Ahmad Bazzan Lawan, on Tuesday.

The communique read in part: “The total strike action suspended by the Union in December 2018 will be resumed immediately for four weeks in the first instance. NEC shall reconvene after the four weeks of strike action to re-assess the level of the Government’s commitment on the issues for an appropriate decision on the way forward thenceforth.

Read also:Peter Obi unprepared for Nigeria’s presidency — Sowore

“Every Chapter Congress across the federation should convene on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, to adequately inform the Congress of the commencement of the strike action due to the festering issues and the status of inaction leading to the industrial action.”

Reacting, Sowore lambasted the federal government for allowing the strike actions to fester while insignificant political activities take place.

He charged Nigerian students to bond together in order to make the government do the needful.

The tweets read: “For 123 days now Nigerian universities teachers have been on strike, also Nigerian students in Colleges of Education have been thrown into the streets because their teachers are on strike too. Presidential Muhammadu Buhari is enjoying the prolonged strike, while the students are suffering and parents are agonizing.

“There are over 1.5 million students whose future is as stake and no one seems to care. I lived through an era when the government was afraid of Nigerian students but today students are afraid of the government. They are scared to exercise their room rights to have a future.

“I urge Nigerians students to bond together and face this despicable regime to send the strikes. It is a task that must be done.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now