Resolve 10-Month Old ASUP Strike – Students Tell FG

The All African Students’ Union (AASU) on Wednesday urged the Federal Governmentto resolve its differences with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and end the 10-month-old strike by the lecturers.

The Country Representative, AASU Nigeria, Mr. Umar Abdulrahman, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Abdulrahman said that the lingering strike by the lecturers was having a toll on the students, hence the need to end it and prevent idle polytechnic students from taking to crime.

He said the education sector was getting to a 'near collapse'.

He also lamented the recent strikes embarked upon by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU.

Abdulrahman said that students were at the receiving end of the strikes in the sector.

He noted that if nothing was done urgently, it might have a long time effect on the future of the country

The union leader said the negative effect ofthe strike were more on the students due to the idleness, stressing that some of them might not return to school after it had been called off.

"Some don’t even make it back to school as a result of deaths, sickness or complete withdrawal from school."

"Students should not always be at the receiving end anytime there is strike."

"We call on the Federal Government to immediately meet ASUP and COEASU’s demands so that polytechnic students and their counterparts in the colleges of education can resume their academic activities."

"The ASUP and COEASU are asking government to improve the education sector, especially the polytechnics and colleges that have suffered neglect."

"Let government and the unions strike their balance without affecting our academics or studies," Abdulrahman said.