…Welcomes NLC’s Solidarity Protest
…Civil Society, Nigerian Masses will actively protest side-by-side Labour
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Save-Public-Education-Campaign has welcomed the move by the nation’s Labour body, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to throw its weight behind striking University Lecturers in the Country.
The Campaign, in a statement co-signed by its Convener, Comrade Vivian Bello and Co-convener, Comrade Dimeji Macaulay noted that the decision is aimed at compelling the government to take the necessary actions to immediately end the prolonged impasse in the Tertiary education sector.
It stressed that the announcement of a 2-Day Mass protest by the Labour body nationwide is in line with its earlier call on the Labour Bodies to do so.
It commended the courage of the labour leadership in this regard, adding that it is appalling that despite all the calls and pleas by well-meaning individuals and groups on the nation’s authorities, to see the need to take serious steps and do more to end the strike action in view of its catastrophic effect on the youths and the country itself, government has remained adamant and has rather chosen to heighten its hide-and-seek game with the tertiary academic and non-academic unions, to the end that the impasse sees no end in sight.
The Campaign noted that this sad scenario stands in stark contrast to the seemingly high esteem the President Muhammadu Buhari holds education as he publicly acclaimed only recently in a well-publicized statement, that the only asset he will bequeath to his children is education.
“If we Nigerians are to believe him, we then dare ask; what Education is he bequeathing to the children of the ordinary Nigerians?
“But then, we are only asking the obvious; the ruling elites of this country all have their children schooling in and graduating from Universities in other countries across the globe. As a testament to this, Nigerians were just the other week bombarded with news and pictures of the children of the Governors of Jigawa and Rivers States, Abubakar badaru and Nyesom Wike, who have just graduated from Brunel University and University of Exeter, respectively, both in the United Kingdom. Clearly, the ASUU strike is purely the problem/burden of the Common man.
“We had earlier called on the President to show leadership and personally takeover negotiations with the striking academic unions, we still strongly urge him to do so. No effort is worth sparing for the sake of our Children’s Education.
“We also again enjoin the Federal Government to immediately end the no-work-no-pay policy it illegally invoked and promptly pay the striking lecturers and other workers in the sector all their salaries and entitlements. This gesture will help in softening the grounds towards resolving the impasse.
“Accordingly, Save-Public-Education-Campaign announces that it shall fully lead Civil Society Groups and Nigerians on solidarity mass protest along with Labour from Tuesday the 26th of July 2022, to register our total consternation at, and utter rejection of, the continued systematic disenfranchisement of the Nigerian Children’s Right to Education and consequently compromising their future and development.
“The Save-Public-Education-Campaign by this announcement calls on all Students and Nigerians across board to mobilize and fully participate in the Protest action across the length and breadth of the Country to show our collective stance against systematic and orchestrated killing of (public) Education in Nigeria,” It stated.
