Nigeria, August – Some former students of Bayelsa State origin have accused the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) in Niger Delta University (NDU) for playing politics with the future of students in the guise of a false solidarity struggle.
The organisation under the aegis of under the aegis of National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS) Stakeholders Forum, accused the leadership of ASUU NDU of deliberately scuttling efforts of the Bayelsa State Government to settle the salary face-off, noting that they finally called off the strike since it was becoming obvious their unpatriotic position is becoming unsustainable
President of the group, Oyinkuro Abel and Secretary, Tarakiri Godson in a statement on Wednesday, said the sinister motive of ASUU to prolong the strike was to frustrate and embarrass the administration of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson and paint it in bad colours.
They went further to accuse leaders of the union of playing out the script of their pay masters in Abuja who orchestrated the strike after their rejection in the last governorship election.
The group wondered why ASUU refused to dialogue with the government before embarking on the strike just as they truncated several moves by the government and senior citizens of the state to end the impasse just to turn around and accept what the government offered them from the beginning which would have saved our students from this setback.
According to them, several members of the union played different roles during the last election and were disappointed that their principal lost woefully just as he also did at the tribunal, a situation that emboldened their quest to continue the unecessary industrial action.
While describing the lecturers as enemies of the state, the student group said what they did in the last four months amounted to educational felony which in some society should have been greeted with revolution.
The ex- Student Leaders Forum warned ASUU never to attempt such sponsored action or be ready to face stiff resistance, adding that they should think outside the box and seek means of complementing government efforts in this trying financial period by bringing ideas to raise funds for the institution rather than depend totally on government.
The statement thanked Governor Dickson for his patience during the period and his kind heart in the face of the provocation and appeal to him not to be distracted by the antics of the self seeking NDU ASUU members.
