Jonathan to ASUU: Be patriotic, call off strike

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday commissioned the College of Engineering Complex at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, using the occasion to call on the striking members of the Academic Union of Universities to call off the ongoing four months strike.
The three-storey Engineering College complex is named after the President.
Jonathan noted that while the lecturers have every right to embark on strike but however cautioned that such rights must be exercised with patriotism.
He posited that four months on, the lecturers by should have been able to make their points known to the public, insisting that remaining adamant would not be in the interest of the students in particular and the nation at large.
President Jonathan said: “I once again appeal to the entire membership of ASUU to pause and ponder on the adverse effect of their action on the future of the vibrant youths of this great nation.
“The collective destiny of tens of thousands of tomorrow’s leaders should not be held hostage to vagaries of labour disputes.
“As long as we are humans, as long as we are a developing society, this labour dispute must come up.
“I believe that labour has the right to go on strike, but in that strike, any action taken must be built on patriotic zeal.
“Inasmuch as you can go on strike, you must be patriotic to our country.
“No matter how and what you feel about Mr. President and the Federal Government, I plead with ASUU that for the sake of our students, they should resume classes.
“If it is a genuine strike, keeping students out of classrooms for almost four months, by that they have demonstrated to everybody that they have a case.
“And if the strike is motivated by some other interests, they have also achieved that by keeping students out of schools for more than a semester.
“I always say that even in the developed societies, we hear about labour dispute and there is no society, even the most developed, that has provided the facilities for every worker.
“Our security services, the Police, the Armed Forces, Navy, Air Force and para-military, intelligent services are also operating in an environment that is not the best.
“If all of us should go on long strike because our environment is not optimum, then, definitely we can never get the Nigeria of our dream.
“So, let me use this unique opportunity that I am interfacing with our future leaders, our students, to plead with ASUU members.”
He said it is unacceptable that students of public institutions are kept for extra one or two years in school while students of private universities obtain their degrees at the appropriate time.
While commending the founder of ABUAD, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), for investing in education, Jonathan said he was humbled by his decision to name the College of engineering after him.
He said: “It is often said that great minds live great history behind them and this.
“History is built on a very great vision.
“The vision of Aare Afe Babalola, founder of this promising institution, is a noble one.”
Babalola said the University is worth N60 billion of private investments.
According to him, with over 4,000 students from the 36 states of Nigeria and FCT, the institution is the second best private university in the country and the 14th best among all public and private universities in Nigerian.
Babalola used the occasion to appeal to Jonathan to intervene in the development of the Ekiti State Airport.
He lamented that in spite of the over N600 million approved by the Federal Government for the commencement of the project in 2011, development is yet to commence.
The commissioning was witnessed by the host Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as well as Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State and Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State.