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The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities to make compromises, so as to resolve the current nationwide strike by varsity lecturers.
Dare made the call when he met with a delegation of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Abuja.
According to him, the prolonged strike by lecturers was undermining the credibility of graduates produced by universities in the country.
He, therefore, called on them to reach a middle ground with the Federal Government for an immediate resolution of the current trade dispute.
The Minister also noted that the five months old strike had caused untold hardships to both students and parents, saying with the recent intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari in the matter; a permanent solution to the problems was at hand.
“It is unfortunate that resolution of the crisis has taken longer than expected with its attendant adverse effects on hundreds of thousands of Nigerian Students.
“I want to use this meeting to make a strong appeal to ASUU, considering the meetings that have been held, considering the plight of Nigerian Students, to reach some level of compromise and call off the strike,” he said.
The Minister assured the NANS President of his commitment to continue engaging with his colleagues, the Ministers of Labour and Education, alongside ASUU to reach an amicable resolution in the shortest time possible.
He added, “It is my own desire as the Minister of Youth and Sports to ensure our students return to their campuses soon.
“I have done some consultations behind the scene, and I appeal to our students to be a bit more patient as government makes concerted efforts to get the compromise that will lead to our universities and campuses reopened.”
In his remarks, the NANS President, Mr Sunday Asefon expressed appreciation to President Buhari for his intervention, but stressed that the it will only be make sense to the students when the strike is called off.
