President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other related unions to call off their strike to allow students go back to classrooms.
Buhari made the call on Friday in Maiduguri at the maiden Special Convocation Ceremony and conferment of Honourary Degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Maiduguri on Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi, Chairman, Oriental Energy Resources Ltd.
The president was represented by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari.
“Its more appropriate that we say something about this ASUU strike because we are celebrating Alhaji Indimi who is celebrated hugely for advancement of quality education not only in this country.
“In this regard, I want to convey President Muhammadu Buhari call for ASUU to call off their strike and return to classroom”.
” I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the ASUU to reconsider its stance to call off their 7 months old strike, as students and their parents are desirous to see that schools are reopened. The nation cannot afford long interruption of higher education of the youths and wouldn’t undermine the development of the nation’s human capital in a strictly competitive world,” the President stressed.
He further pointed out that the appeal was made in view of students desire to return to the classrooms with their parents seeking for reopening of the shut down Universities.
President Buhari added that despite the security challenges, his administration has made tremendous achievements in the area of security, as evidenced by the occasion holding in Maiduguri, stressing that since the inception of democracy in 1999, many administrations have been talking about diversification of economy, but only the present administration implemented it.