Kogiflame
Student wing of the Coalition of Northern Group, (CNG-SW), Kogi state chapter has lamented that the university strike have exposed the students to social vices and immorality in the society.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a combined meeting of CSOs, clerics, parents and stakeholders with cng-sw, kogi state chapter on ASUU and COEASU strike issued over the weekend in Lokoja.
The spoke person of the group, Comr Adama Ayuba while addressing newsmen said the children of the poor are exposed to violence and exploitation with early marriages, more idle minds recruited into militias, sexual exploitation of girls and young women, teenage pregnancies, and child labour, already becoming more common.
He noted that the students wing, is extremely worried by the prolonged closure of Nigerian Universities and Colleges of Education in recent, as a result of the resurgence of aged unresolved disagreement between the Federal Government, Academic staff Union of University (ASUU) and the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
The communique read as followed: “We are worried particularly, at the closure of these high institutions, which is in its 5th month with no immediate resolution in sight, carries high social, moral, security and economic costs for citizens across the country particularly Northern Nigerian communities.
“We are disturbed also that with the closure of Universities and other educational institutions which are hubs of social activity and human interaction for such indefinite durations
“Nigerian youth, especially those of financially distressed families, are inadvertently forced to miss out on social contact that is essential to learning and development.
“We note also that both Government and the unions are so unconcerned because the disadvantages of the closure are disproportionate for under-privileged students who have fewer or zero educational opportunities beyond Nigeria as their parents are unable to redirect them to foregn-based schools that remain open.
“They appear not to bother because apparently, the impact is particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls and their families with the resulting disruptions exacerbating already existing disparities within the education system, and in other aspects of their lives.
The group therefore called on the government to wake up and be alive to their responsibilities by attending to the needs of the striking unions and Nigerians in General.
They also called on the striking Unions, ASUU, COEASU and others, to make a paradigm shift and innovate or explore other means press home their demands or resolve their differences.
They equally added that both Federal government and the striking unions should consider and put the interest of the students at the front burner of their discussion or decisions at all times.
The group condemned in totality the levity and condescension with which the Federal Government is approaching the indefinite closure of Universities and Associated Institutions, especially with the recent shameless admission by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed that the complexities of the situation are beyond comprehension.
They therefore remind ASUU and other unions of the imperative of changing the traditional tactic of calling off work which has never served any purpose and instead, join forces with the students, their parents and civil society organisations to device means of achieving lasting solutions, keeping in mind that government has less concern, especially with the way they are issuing licences for private universities.
