A northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, has said that it is willing to mediate on the impasse between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government of Nigeria to end the protracted varsity strike.
The Northern body said the idea was to end the prolonged strike following the uncompromising stance of the lecturers and the government.
The ACF, through its Secretary-General, Malam Murtala Aliyu, in a statement in Kaduna on Thursday, said this would save the nation’s universities from imminent collapse.
The ACF also called on both the government and the university lecturers to sheathe their swords and reconsider their stance for universities to resume, noting that the strikes over the decades had set the nation’s universities behind.
The statement titled, ‘ASUU strike: ACF willing to host mediation,’ read, “The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, offers, like any neutral socio-political organisation in the country, to mediate on the impasse between ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“The ACF thought it wise to mediate considering the uncompromising stands of the two bodies, as to the issues at stake.
“It is with a great sense of concern that the Arewa Consultative Forum finds it necessary to speak up in the standoff between the negotiation teams, on a situation causing chains of academic strikes in the country.
“The frequency of the strike over the last three decades has set the tertiary education sector years behind, affecting the quality of the products. The current impasse has lasted too long, a sign that a different approach is needed to resolve this disagreement of ideas.
“The nation is held to ransom as a result of this deadlock and the situation must stop immediately.”
It added, “Arewa Consultative Forum calls on the Federal Government and ASUU, as a matter of urgency, to reconsider further dialogues on alternative terms to the former strategies.
“We, again, call on both parties to reconsider changing their approaches, as it is imperative to note here that:
“Strikes are too many and seem to be outdated and of little effect. Therefore, alternative measures to strikes must be thought of and the present situation must be reversed, immediately.
“Realistic response should be made to all ASUU requests.
“It is the parents, students, lecturers, and the society in general that bear the brunt of these strikes, and such scenarios must be avoided to responsively deliver services to the nation.
“Every government, as well as stakeholders’ actions, should be seen to be responsive all through. It is, only, reasonable to act, immediately, to address all issues without making the rest of the public suffer any further.
“Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, is offering to host the mediation.”
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