ASUU to Nigerian students: Don’t vote politicians whose children school abroad in 2023

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, has admonished Nigerian students not to vote for politicians who have their children studying in institutions outside the country.

Osodeke gave the advice while speaking on a Twitter Space Webinar tagged, ‘ASUU strike, Revitalisation Fund and the Way Forward.’

Speaking on some of the way forwards on the lingering strike, he said students should not vote for politicians who would not represent their interests.

“Anybody you believe cannot take care of your interests, whose children are busy studying abroad, who are living abroad, don’t vote for them, I repeat, you don’t need to vote for them, because you don’t vote for people who will take your life.”

Osodeke was responding to question from a popular ENDSARS activist, Rinu Oduala, on what Nigerian students could do amid the lingering ASUU strike.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022, with hopes on resumption dashed for Nigerian students many times as the lecturers have refused to resume over what they described as the failure of the Federal Government to honour the agreement it had with them.

On Tuesday, ASUU’s meeting with the FG ended in a deadlock. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the Federal Government’s team met with the representatives of ASUU at the headquarters of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Speaking further, the union’s president bemoaned comments by the Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of South-East Governors’ Forum, David Umahi, that university education was not for everybody.

This was as Umahi stressed that it was unreasonable for the Federal Government, led by the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to borrow over N1trillion to meet the demands of ASUU.

“Education is about life. A governor was saying education is not for everybody and then we saw his son graduating outside (abroad) with governors around. I will repeat it, the Nigerian students should hold their PVC. Anybody who will not look at their interests, who, in his campaign, will not show that he’s going to improve the Nigerian educational system, they should vote them out.”