Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to give the problems of the current Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike priority to put an end to the industrial action at any cost.
Kalu mentioned this on Thursday in a brief post on his verified Facebook page. Kalu is the senator who represents the Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly’s upper body.
For the benefit of those lecturers who have no other source of income and undergraduates who are likely to lose interest in education if the strike doesn’t end soon, the senator pleaded with the Federal Government to take all feasible measures to put an early stop to the strike.
“For the sake of the lecturers who have no other source of income but salaries earned. For the sake of the undergraduates who may lose interest in education should the strike not end soon, I appeal to the Federal Government to reconsider their stance and make a deal that would lead to the end of the ASUU strike,” part of the post read.
He pointed out that some stakeholders directly affected by the lingering strike are being drained due to the refusal of the government to reach an amicable agreement with the striking union.
“The consequences of the strike are also financially draining for many of us. Orji Uzor Kalu Foundation management informed me of how the foundation has spent over N300 million on our ASUU friends across the country.
“There is global economic challenges and Nigeria is not an exemption but the Federal Government must prioritize the ASUU issues and call off the strike no matter the price,” Kalu added.