Just like in the Movies, everything is fast turning against the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who has earlier “Asked students affected by the ASUU strike to sue ASUU for time wasted”, and may likely be sued by students.
Latest report reaching the Dailyschoolnews News Desk today is that the National Association of Nigerian Students had on Thursday, disclosed to newsmen that it would commence consultations to sue the Federal Government and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, over the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The National Association of Nigerian Students, popularly known as NANS, made this decision known in a statement sent to news correspondence in the state capital, Abuja. Funny how the minister started this call to students to sue the striking union, but it’s turning around.
Speaking on this new development, the NANS President, Sunday Ashefon, said:
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement that has been linked to the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu where he suggested that Nigerian students affected by the ASUU strike must sue ASUU for liabilities suffered as a result of the strike.
Perhaps the only thing Malam Adamu Adamu has gotten right since he became a Minister is the fact that Nigerian students needed to be compensated for having 6 months of their life wasted, never to be recovered again, opportunities and resources wasted by the striking union and federal government of Nigeria.
However, we won’t dismiss the fact of how clever the Minister is, by suggesting ASUU should be held liable for the liabilities caused by BOTH the government he’s associated with and Union. ASUU is neither the proprietor of our tertiary institutions nor the beneficiary of huge school fees, and other fees paid across the Nigerian tertiary institutions by students. We think it’s absolutely an insult to the intellects of Nigerian students affected by the strike, to suggest that students should sue employees for protesting bad working conditions and not the employer who is the proprietor of our schools and the sole benefactors of Nigerian tertiary institutions school fees.
“Since Nigerian students do not think like the Minister of Education, and we have the intellect to separate what is right from wrong, we will however, honor the request of Malam Adamu Adamu by exploring legal windows for compensation of our students for numerous liabilities suffered as a result of the incessant and prolonged ASUU strike.
“We have therefore decided to take the advice of the Minister and seek legal redress for the liabilities suffered. We will therefore consult with our legal advisers to see what options are available for us to explore legally against the Federal Government, and Minister of Education”.
The student body, however, called on ASUU to place the interest of the students above other interests and ensure that they return to classroom as quick as possible.
“We are also using this medium to call on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to be considerate and put students’ interests into their consideration. The truth of the matter is that ASUU stronghold on the nation’s academic progress is both unpatriotic and self-serving.
“We, therefore, advise state government whose tertiary institutions are on strike, to quickly take every reasonable measure to ensure resumption of academic activities as the current strike should never have affected state universities, and even federal universities. We will support the state government in any measure they deem fit to compel striking state university lecturers to resume work”.
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