Power workers plan to join ASUU strike that has gone one for 5 months
More power cuts may be underway as workers in the sector have threatened to join members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who have been on strike since February over the failure of Abuja to properly fund tertiary education.
The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) argued that the carefree attitude of the Muhammadu Buhari administration towards the closure of universities is a distressing curve in Nigeria’s development towards nationhood.
NUEE “is deeply saddened and appalled by the impasse between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Unions in the Tertiary Academic Sector (Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Research Institutes) which has avoidably lingered.
“This deadlock which has lasted for several months with the students staying at home is undoubtedly exposing the students to all forms of negative vices inimical to nation building,” NUEE General Secretary Joe Ajaero said in a statement.
“NUEE therefore calls on the Federal Government to address all issues concerning non implementation of agreements and others affecting Nigeria’s hallowed Tertiary Institutions.
“The nation that is committed to human capital development does not toy with the Education, training and manpower need of its youth population.”
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Importance of education
“The laissez-faire attitude of the government whether in the states or national towards the continued closure of schools is a sorry state in the process of our development towards nationhood,” Ajaero added, according to reporting by Vanguard.
“It is through education that this nation Nigeria could be pulled out of the current doldrums and be positioned towards socio-economic and technical development of the next millennium.
“The National Union of Electricity Employees therefore wishes to state that if after the Nigeria Labour Congress'(NLC) nationwide protest and the current impasse between unions in the tertiary institutions and government is not conclusively addressed, we shall be forced to stay at home with our children.”