National President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Dr.
Nasir Issa-Fagee, has said that the Nigerian universities will not
continue to churn out unemployable graduates because of lack of
training facilities in the institutions.
The ASUU President, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard in Abuja, said that
though the strike affected both parents and students, there was the
need for sacrifice by all the stakeholders in order to ensure that
Nigeria graduates competed with their peers in other parts of the
world.
He noted that the agreement which the union entered into with the
federal government in 2009 was due for review in June 20th, 2012,
regretting that many years after the agreement it had not been
substantially implemented.
Declaring the indefinite strike as total, the ASUU President said that
though the strike had affected academic calendar, the universities
cannot continue in the old way of doing things that was not beneficial
to graduates after their long years in school.
He said, "The academic calendar had already been affected. For the
fact that students were graduating they do not even perform well when
they get into the labour market.
"I don't really know what is our priority, is it that we just continue
churning out graduates with certificate who may not perform because
they have not been trained adequately because of lack of training
facilities, research, laboratories, workshops and adequately equipped
libraries.
" This is an agreement that was signed in 2009 and it supposed to have
been reviewed in 20th June 12 last year, I hope we are now in July,
2013 that is one year after, we have not substantially implemented
that agreement talk less of commencing the process of review.
"So I think that is the key issue. If government is serious, it would
have substantially implemented the agreement before June 20 and
commence the process of review of that agreement."
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