6th December, 2011
APeople’s Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain in Lagos State, Owolabi Salis, has advised members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to reconsider its stand to embark on a national strike.
The Wall Street, New York Attorney and Chartered Accountant, urged the university teachers to realise that the nation’s president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, also an academician and an ex-university teacher, was one of them and therefore understands their grievances.
“I would have rather expected you to assist and support Jonathan to succeed, considering the unique place he occupies as the first Ph.D holder to preside either as military or civilian ruler of Nigeria, realising that the president’s success stands to rub off solitarily on you, as a positive recommendation of the quality, competence and administrative excellence of Nigerian university teachers.
“While I am not saying that you don’t have a genuine case, what I am rather saying is that for the mean time, you should bear with the government, considering the fact that the problems did not just start yesterday, but had accumulated over the years back and would therefore require patience and understanding to tackle,†he stated.
He further urged the university teachers to consider the interest of the students who, apart from being leaders of tomorrow, have their destiny at stake, should they go ahead and make good their threat.
He, however, advised government to hasten to do whatever it could to assuage the teachers’ grievances.