Efforts by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to help resolve
the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
have run into a hitch after the union’s leadership refused to grant
CAN’s request for a meeting over
CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, disclosed this Monday in
Abuja. Speaking while inaugurating CAN’s committee on the proposed
National Dialogue, Oritsejafor revealed the steps taken by CAN in
resolving the four months old face-off between ASUU and the Federal
Government.
He said that CAN has reached out to both government and the
leadership of ASUU to shift ground in the best interest of the students.
Oritsejafor’s words: “About ASUU, I’ve tried not to make any comment
about the strike. I think Nigerians should know that we are not silent.
We’ve made several attempts. I’ve had several phone conversations with
ASUU president. I made a proposal for us to meet, but I didn’t hear much
from him.
“We’ve also approached the government and we told them the strike
isn’t good for Nigeria. We told them something needed to be done to end
this situation. We were promised that they were ready to shift ground.
As I speak, we’ve not been able to meet ASUU.
“Let me say that I’m appealing as President of CAN to both government
and ASUU to come back and sit down. We need to face this problem. In
any situation where two parties cannot seem to agree, there must be
movements from both sides. I heard government has moved the amount. For
the sake of our children and this nation, they should find way to mend
fences and find a way to come to an end.”
News Express reports that the strike, launched by ASUU in a bid to
force government to implement a 2009 funding agreement, has kept
Nigeria’s university students at home since July 1.
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