Many Nigerians were yesterday night disappointed after waiting for hours to know the outcome of the marathon meeting between the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the federal government over the ongoing strike by the union.
Hope beamed at the inception of the meeting with Jonathan’s earlier assertion that, “the strike will end today,” but was eventually dashed as at 9.44 p.m when reverse became the case.
Newsmen and expectant Nigerians at the First Lady’s Wing of the Presidential Villa, Abuja venue of the meeting decided to go home around 10p.m while the meeting tarried without headway.
Report however says that both ASUU and the federal government’s representatives refused to divulge the outcome of the meeting when it was finally over, leaving reporters and other expectant Nigerians to merely speculate.
DailyPost reported that those representing the Federal Government delegation, apart from President Jonathan include, the Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; Jonathan’s Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadome; the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike; the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu; and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, while the ASUU side was led by its President, Dr. Isa Fagge, Dr. Dipo Fasina; the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwaheed Omar; Prof. Festus Iyayi; Prof. Suleiman Abdul; and Prof. Abdullahi Sule-Kano.
Torka Longo, a Mass Communication student of the Benue State University, Makurdi told our correspondent that the strike is really weighing him down. “I have been at home doing nothing for more than four months now and I am not finding it funny at all. My daily routine is; wake up, clean up, eat, do chores, hang-out with friends and repeat the same thing all over again. The whole thing is affecting me psychologically. I can’t even read the few text books I came back with because my mind is not at rest. I hope something will be done very fast so that I can go back to school.”
Another Kemi Raji, a student of University of Lagos lamented that she was tired of staying at home idle.
“I’m sad, really sad over this ongoing ASUU strike. Since the strike began, I have succeeded in keeping myself busy and engaged by doing some farm work. My parents are farmers, so it’s only proper that I and my other siblings help them out in the farm. But the truth is that I’m not enjoying the strike in the least. I want to go back to school, write my exams and graduate in record time. So ASUU and FG should please pity students by reaching a consensus. They should remember that it’s our future they are toying with.”
