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By Gabriel Dike
The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) has made a passionate appeal to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other sister unions in tbe tertiary institutions to reconsider its position and accept what the Federal Government is offering on the negotiation table.
The Deputy President of NAPTAN, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, said the prolonged industrial action coupled with the warning strike by the non-teaching would crippled public universities.
He said incessant industrial actions in the nation’s tertiary institutions would make Boko Haram think it is winning the war against Western education and also disrupting academic calendar in schools.
According to him, ASUU roll-over strike, non-teaching staff declared warning strike and issuance of one-month ultimatum by polytechnic staff unions to the Federal Government is an indication that the signs are bad.
His words: “Let ASUU and other staff unions take what government has offered. ASUU and other sister unions should think because this government is not ready for them.
“We want to appeal to ASUU in particular to go back to the classroom so that Boko Haram will not say they are winning the war against Western education. Boko Haram seems to be winning with universities closed and treat by ASUP and SSANIP to join them.
“Boko Haram is winning because schools are closed and many students don’t go to school. Nigerian parents are worried about the deadlock.”
Ogunbanjo revealed that all is not well with tertiary education as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics are warning up for fresh strike in the polytechnic system.
He stated that the situation in the Nigerian University System (NUS) has further been made worse with another roll-over strike by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), thus academic and administrative activities paralyzed in public universities.
“On behalf of Nigerian parents, we beg ASUP and SSANIP to also accept what the government is offering to avert the impending strike in the polytechnics, ” Ogunbanjo stated.
