By Celestine Okafor (Abuja)and Dele Moses,( Ilorin)
Senate President, David Mark.
President Goodluck Jonathan has advised members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to re-orientate themselves so that they stop embarking on strike unnecessarily, to enable universities meet the task required of them in the socio-economic development of the country.
This is as Senate on Wednesday, unanimously elected the Senate President, David Mark, to lead the National Assembly negotiation team to mediate between the Federal Government and ASUU with a view to finding a lasting solution to the strike.
Jonathan gave the advice on Wednesday at the 29th convocation of the University of Ilorin, where 6, 851 first degree and higher degree graduands passed out.
The president, who was represented by the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, said the universities should be an agent of change that would rectify a situation whereby graduates are unemployable because of lack of relevant skills and poor training.
He said it is in this light that the university teachers need to avoid distractions at work "occasioned by unnecessary strikes" which he described as the major problem militating against educational development in the country.
The president called on ASUU to "allow reason to prevail" by calling off its on-going strike while assuring that the government would continue to address the challenges facing the university system.
He stated: "Our Universities must be agents of change. The situation whereby a large number of the graduates produced by our Universities lack the relevant skills due to poor training and are therefore unemployable is intolerable.
"University teachers must re-orientate themselves and avoid distractions at work occasioned by unnecessary strikes which remain the bane of our educational system with its attendant consequences.
"It is on this premise that I wish to once again call on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to allow reason to prevail by immediately calling off their ongoing strike action in the interest of the nation and our children while government systematically continues to address the myriad of challenges facing our university system.
"I call on the university teachers to work with the government to make our universities centres of excellence.
In a three-point resolution passed on Wednesday, Senate also appealed to ASUU to suspend the four months strike and return to classes, just as it mandated it's committee on education to continue to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, ASUU and all relevant stakeholders to proffer lasting solution to steam further strikes on the education sector.
All these happened following the debate on a motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River Central), supported by the rest other 108 senators, entitled, "Appeal to ASUU to call off the strike action and return to work."
To further demonstrate the commitment of the lawmakers to ending the strike by the dons, the motion was the only issue the senators deliberated upon during the Wednesday's plenary.
