Alhaji Mohammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, has said that the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) ongoing strikes have seriously harmed both the university system and the future generations of students that it is intended to educate.
The Sultan made this statement on Saturday upon his receipt of a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) degree from Yola’s Modibbo Adama University (MAU).
The king, one of four notable Nigerians given honorary degrees by MAU at its 27th convocation at the main campus of the university in Girei, close to Yola, made his comment when asked to speak for himself and on behalf of other winners.
Alhaji Muhammad Indimi (2nd from left) being handed his honorary degree during the 27th convocation of Saturday
He thanked MAU for finding him and the other honorary awardees worthy of the honour, and called on the Federal Government and ASUU to close ranks against strikes in the future.
A prominent businessman, Alhaji Muhammad Indimi, a former governor of Adamawa State, Mr Boni Haruna; and an educationist and administrator, Alhaji Dahiru Bobbo, were the other three people who received honorary degrees during MAU’s convocation on Saturday.
In the regular student category, 63 graduands were conferred with first-class degrees during the 27th joint 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic sessions convocation.
Of the remaining graduands, 1,069 received second-class upper degrees, 1,783 second-class lower degrees, 552 third-class degrees, 40 pass, 72 postgraduate diplomas, 480 master’s degrees, and 80 doctor of philosophy degrees.