TUC Tells FG to End ASUU StrikeARTICLE | NOVEMBER 1,

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Friday
called on the Federal Government to take
measures to end the four-month-old strike by
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
This call is contained in a statement signed
by Musa Lawal, the Secretary General of the
union, in Abuja.
ASUU had embarked on strike to protest
against the non-implementation of the 2009
agreement reached between the union and the
Federal Government.
The TUC said the union was disturbed that in
spite of protests and appeals by parents,
students, market women and others,
government had not shown concerned about
plight of the students.
``TUC is again appealing to government to
address this critical issue that bothers on our
collective future as a nation.
``It is high time our governments at all levels
embrace the culture of respecting and
adhering to agreements.
``There is no gain saying the fact that ASUU’s
strike has been allowed to drag on for too
long, and the consequences are incalculable.
``We insist that it now behoves on
government to move and decisively address
the issues at stake,’’ the statement said.
According to the statement, any nation that
abandons its youth developmental and
educational system inadvertently abandons its
tomorrow.
``We shall not fold our arms and allow the
nation’s educational system to collapse.’’
It said the situation was worrisome, noting
that Nigeria, arguably the richest country in
Africa and sixth largest producer of crude oil
in the world, seemingly could not guarantee
education for its citizenry.
The statement added that government must
not allow the situation deteriorate further, and
urged government to ``save our students and
their education from further trauma.
``The congress also urges the National
Assembly, past and present leaders of the
country and other well-meaning Nigerians to
wade into the crisis to save the sector from
total