ASUU, NUT say education under attacks Nigeria
“Yes education in Nigeria is under attack. It’s under attack by bandits in the bush and bandits in the government houses, mansions in city centres. So while the bandits are attacking and killing us instantly, our leaders are attacking and killing education instalmentally,” Piwuna said.
Two key unions in the Nigeria’s education sector, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have said the country’s educational system faced serious challenge, resulting from unabating insecurity to gross under funding by government.
Speaking to journalists in separate interviews at the opening session of this years Harmattan School organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, and NUT President Comrade Audu Titus Amba, expressed concerns over the upsurge in attacks, killings and kidnapping of teachers and students in some parts of the country.
Responding to a question on the recent security challenges facing educational institutions in Nigeria, ASUU president said the attacks on the education sector is two-pronged. One by the government and another attack by bandits, who were kidnapping children from across the states.
“Yes education in Nigeria is under attack. It’s under attack by bandits in the bush and bandits in the government houses, mansions in city centres. So while the bandits are attacking and killing us instantly, our leaders are attacking and killing education instalmentally,” Piwuna said.
The ASUU president also gave update on the situation with its engagement with the federal government and its threat to commence nationwide indefinite strike.
ASUU said it would have to await the outcome of the conciliatory talks with the federal government which reconvened on Monday to decide on way forward.
He said that the leadership of the union and the federal governments team were meeting in Abuja to try and resolve the issues in dispute, adding that strike by lecturers has been put on hold until the conclusion of the conciliatory talks
On whether any of their demands have been met by government, Piwuna said: Clearly there are still issues, specifically our 2009 agreement, which is why we are meeting this afternoon.
And so we would continue our commitment to fight for education in Nigeria, to prioritize education in Nigeria is unshakable, and it is unshakable as it was with our past leaders, as it is today.
On his part, the NUT President condemned attacks on schools and educational institutions across the country by bandits describing it as a grave threat to the entire education system.
The NUT called on federal government to do something urgently to arrest the deteriorating security challenge, particularly as it affects threat to lives of students and teachers in educational institutions.
Amba said the leadership of the union plans to address a Press Conference today (Tuesday) to speak on the challenges, and maybe show our displeasure with what is happening with the educational sector – completely right from the primary up to the tertiary institution.
Today, our school system is under stress. You can attest to the fact that most of the state are closing schools now, as the case on ground, we, as leaders of these teachers, we are sending this message that they should provide the necessary security guarantees for our schools.
Failure to do that, we wil not have reason not to maybe shut down all the schools that we felt are in a very volatile area, because we cant be teaching while our lives are at risk.
So these are the issues that we are having on ground we are we were in Kebbi state a day before yesterday, and we listened attentively to what transpired in Kebbi, and we are now passing this message to Federal government of Nigeria that they should make effort to bring back the kidnapped students.
And also to make effort to safeguard and protect all our schools across the country, he said.
