Don’t Vote Politicians with Children Abroad – ASUU President
Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, warned on Wednesday that Nigerian students should not vote for politicians whose children attend schools outside the nation.
Osodeke spoke during a Twitter Space Webinar hosted by Premium Times and titled ‘ASUU strike, Revitalisation Fund, and the Way Forward’
Students should not vote for politicians who will not support their interests, he stated in a discussion on the strike’s future course of action.
Osodeke stated, “Don’t vote for somebody you believe cannot look out for your best interests, whose children are busy studying overseas and who live abroad; you don’t vote for people who will take your life.”
Osodeke was replying to an inquiry from a well-known ENDSARS activist, Rinu Oduala, on what Nigerian students may do in the midst of the ongoing ASUU strike.
Since February 14, 2022, ASUU has remained on strike, with Nigerian students’ dreams of resuming classes repeatedly crushed by the lecturers’ refusal to do so due to the Federal Government’s alleged unwillingness to honour the agreement it made with them.
Tuesday’s meeting between ASUU and the FG ended in a stalemate. According to sources familiar with the situation, the Federal Government’s delegation met with ASUU representatives at the National Universities Commission’s headquarters.
David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi State and chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, stated that university education is not for everyone. The president of the union criticised Umahi’s remarks.
This was because Umahi emphasised that it was unreasonable for the Federal Government, led by President Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), to borrow more than N1trn to satisfy ASUU’s demands.
Osodeke elaborated on Twitter, stating, “Education is about life. A governor stated that education is not for everyone, and then we witnessed his son graduate outside (abroad) in the presence of other governors. I will reiterate that Nigerian students must carry their PVCs. “They should vote out anyone who will not consider their best interests and who will not demonstrate in his campaign that he can enhance the Nigerian educational system.”