Parents in Katsina State appeal for reopening of state-owned varsity

Mon, Aug 22, 2022

3 MIN READ

Education

PARENTS in Katsina State have appealed to Gov. Aminu Masari to order ASUU members at the state-owned Umar Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU) to return to school.

The parents made the appeal in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Katsina.

ASUU called its members out on strike on Feb. 14 demanding the renegotiation of agreements reached with the Federal Government in 2009.

The union also wants government to adopt a salary payment platform designed by its members as against the payment platform the Federal Government uses to pay all its employees.

Alhaji Mustapha Bala, a father who has four children at UMYU said the governor should give the order to end the strike at the university, owned by the state.

He said Kaduna State and some other states gave the same order and their universities are back on stream.

“ASUU is having issues with the Federal government. I see no reason why universities owned by state governments should also go on strike just because lecturers there are ASUU members.

“If the strike continues, it’s only the children of the poor that will continue to be deprived since most of the children of the rich go abroad to study.

“We are appealing to Gov. Masari to please intervene and tell the lecturers to suspend the strike in the interest of Katsina State people and for the development of education in the state,’’ he said.

Malam Kabir Abubakar who has two final-year students at UMYU also expressed serious concerns about the strike.

He lamented that the strike is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the federal and state governments’ efforts at providing education for the poor.

Malam Abubakar advised Gov. Masari to meet members of the UMYU chapter of ASUU to find lasting solution to the strike, at least, at the state level.

In another interview, Malam Baba Abdullahi said four of his children graduated from secondary schools with good grades, but the strike had stopped them from going to university.

“If I have the means, I will take my children to Niger Republic to continue with their education because education in Nigeria is turning to something else due to strikes.

“Lecturers have been on strike for about six months now, and students are redundant at home. The situation is worrisome and deserves serious measures,’’ he said.

Abdullahi also appealed to Katsina State government and UMYU chapter of ASUU to work together to resolve their differences if there is any, so that students can return to school.

In his reaction, Special Adviser to Gov. Masari on Higher Education, Malam Bashir Ruwangodiya, told NAN that government had met with members of the UMYU chapter of ASUU.

The chapter agreed to put the state’s request to end the strike into consideration only after going through three stages of consultations, he said.

“What the leadership said was that it would hold a congress of the chapter, discuss and agree on some issues; meet with the zonal leadership of ASUU and then meet with the national body to seek for a waiver.

“They have given us up to Sept. 1, 2022 to go through those stages of consultations. This is what we have resolved with the union.

“We are still waiting for their response because we are also worried about the situation. We are appealing to parents to understand the situation.’’ Ruwangodiya said. (NAN)