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Nigerian public university students are in for a longer stay at home as the Academic Staff of Union of Universities (ASUU) extended its three-month prolonged strike by an additional three months.
The students and other concerned parties, including members of civil society organisations have protested to say they are not ready for this action.
But, does it even matter? The students are demanding an immediate resolution of the crisis between ASUU and the Nigerian government.
On its part, ASUU has said the decision by the Nigerian government to “starve” its members over the ongoing prolonged strike will not yield any result.
The Nigerian government has imposed a “no-work no-pay” action on the University lecturers.
ASUU maintained that the decision was ill-advised and it would complicate matters.
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The three-man committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the crisis has not yielded a result.
In February, Mr Buhari mandated the trio of his chief of staff, Ibrahim Gambari, and ministers of education, labour, and employment, Chris Ngige and Adamu Adamu, to jointly address the disagreement between ASUU and the government.
But ASUU said the committee has not held a single meeting since February 1 when it was constituted.
The President has now begged ASUU himself to consider the plight of students and call off the ongoing strike.
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In other news, Mr Buhari has directed all ministers and other political appointees seeking elective public office to resign before Monday, May 16.
Three members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) have resigned to focus on their presidential ambitions after the president’s directive.
Others are also expected to follow the directives.
Mr Buhari has held a valedictory session for the 10 ministers who have indicated their desire to aspire for higher offices.
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Meanwhile, Sokoto Youths are in the news again. For some despicable acts this time around.
On Thursday, some students of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, lynched a female student, identified simply as Deborah.
She was killed over an allegation of “derogatory comments” against Muhammed, the Prophet of Islam.
The deceased was violently stoned to death and later set ablaze by the angry mob, who are mostly students of the college.
Authorities have since announced the closure of the school and ordered students to vacate the campus.
President Buhari who spoke through his spokesperson Garba Shehu has condemned the killing.
The president is “demanding an impartial extensive probe into all that happened before and during the incident.”
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