Some educationists have decried the current industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, when Nigeria is battling high rate of crime among youths.
They pointed out that the current ASUU strike could push youths into vices like fraud, rituals, amongst others.
Lately, youths have been engaging more in vices like Yahoo Yahoo, which has increased the rate of ritual killings across the country.
Recall that ASUU, a few days ago, declared a one-month nationwide strike following the Federal Governmentโs inability to implement previous agreements.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke said the strike was to enable the Federal Government take action with regards to the agreement.
Osodeke warned that the union would embark on an indefinite strike if their demands are not met within one month.
The battle of wits between the ASUU and the Federal Government is hinged on the revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), promotion arrears, implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement and discrepancies in the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS).
While ASUU has consistently criticized the government for breaching previous negotiations and agreements, the latter has accused ASUU of forcing it to enter into such a pact under duress.
Speaking with newsmen on the issue, a Benue State Teaching Service Board staff, Ogli Adamu, warned that the society is at the receiving end of the persistent strike.
Adamu stressed that students who are out of school due to strikes could easily be lured into joining bad gangs since they are idle.
He urged the government to meet the demands of ASUU and fund education adequately in Nigeria.
According to Adamu, the continuous industrial actions by lecturers would affect the quality of education in the country.
He said: โASUU strike will increase the rate of insecurity in the country because when these youths are at home, they can be easily lured into joining one gang or the other since they are idle. If they are engaged, they would have less time to take up bad vices. This ASUU strike will seriously increase insecurity.
Corroborating Adamuโs remark, a lecturer with the Colleague of Education Katsina Ala, Alu Tervershima, said though ASUUโs demands are legitimate, the effect of the industrial action was severe on the society.
Tervershima noted that the strike would push youths into vices like kidnapping, robbery, cultism, Yahoo Yahoo, and the rest.
Similarly, a lecturer with the University of Calabar, UNICAL, said the education sector would greatly improve if the Federal Government met the demands of lecturers.
Speaking with journalist, the lecturer said if government can borrow money to rehabilitate the National Assembly, then it should do same to the education sector by meeting the demands of ASUU.
The lecturer, who opted to be anonymous said: โNaturally, good remuneration and working conditions would influence your service delivery, even in the classroom with your students. When you have good remuneration, it will have a severe multiplier effect on your relationship.
When asked if the persistent strike would drive youths into vices like fraud and rituals, he said: โThe government that is making ASUU to embark on strike is aware of that and its effect on the society at large. If they can borrow to rehabilitate the National Assembly, borrow to rehabilitate NTA, then they should borrow to ensure that our educational system is stable.
โIf the Federal Government can meet the demands of ASUU, it will greatly stabilize the education sector and even the quality of graduates we send out.โ
