By Olukayode Idowu
Kulen Allah Cattle Rearer Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has called on the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities to sheathe their swords and find immediately solution to the prolong strike by the latter in the interest of Nigeria’s development.
The association in a press statement signed by it’s National President, Khalil Bello said the industrial action which began February this year is no more healthy and is doing no one any good.
Mohammed said: “We members of Kulen Allah Cattle Rearer Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) wish to join many well meaning Nigerians who are persistently calling on federal government and ASUU to settle their differences and end the ongoing strike.”
He said: “Our Clarion call/passionate appeal is based on the following points: We strongly believe that, education is the bedrock for nation building and our Universities are the Pinnacle of learning where people will advance their studies for country’s economic development.
“The major concern is that, if the strike is allow to continue unchecked, the nation’s educational system will be seriously affected negatively or shall collapsed in totality, because according to many indicators, many professional Lecturers who government had spent so much money on their training will annoyingly relinquish their active services and move to Europe or other developed countries where they hope to get higher renumeration.”
He insisted that: “The movement of thousands medical doctors/ health professionals to England and other countries looking for better employment at this time when country is seriously facing the problem of shortage of health workers to the extent of which a doctor is expected to look after 5000 people as published in some of our national dailies is a clear example of what we are talking about.
“It will weaken the federal and state universities and give more strength to private universities.”
He lamented that: “This is happening when government is still approving the creation of many more private universities and higher institutions at the time when most of our state owned universities are lacking professional lecturers to the extent that they heavily relied on visiting lecturers for their accreditation by NUC/survival as higher institutions of learning.”
He decried that both federal government and our university lecturers are losing heavily in many ways due to the ongoing strike as it brings more harm to the students, parents and the nation than good and would drastically reduce the value of Nigerian university certificates in the world labour market.
He equally stated that there is a tendency of some of our students due to frustration and anger may be found in the acts of criminality at the time when government is doing its best to calm down the levels of criminality bedeviling the country.
He also explained that the ongoing strike shall create more stiff competition in our universities during admission of new students as multiple numbers of students now have passed their previous years UTME Exams might like to be admitted during single session.
“It will also results to shortage of corps members in their places of primary assignments or their over crowd at our NYSC Camps during orientation excercise and in the ministries, private schools/companies and other working places where they will be posted after orientation exercise, with corps member facing rejections at their places of primary assignments because of upsurge in their number the strike shall cause. The rejections may demoralize some of them and make them feel unwanted by the larger society which will make them become unfriendly to all after there services,” he said.
Mohammed said: “In view of the aforementioned ugly consequences associated with the ongoing ASUU strike on our university, students, parents and the nation at large, we of KACRAN are passionately appealing to ASUU and federal governmentt as a matter of utmost importance/urgency to hurriedly return to their collective bargaining meeting and make some sacrifices/adjustment on their demands with a view to arrive at acceptable stand and end the ongoing strike please.”