The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government have engaged in a dispute, and the Royal Commonwealth Society, Nigeria Branch has offered to intervene using the tactic of “Academic Diplomacy” to bring about a resolution.
This was said in a statement released by the society’s Country Director on Thursday, August 18, 2022 in Abuja.
Given that the Federal Government was dealing with a number of other issues and had limited resources, Bayewumi urged ASUU to embrace serious communication, talks, and compromise in an effort to end the protracted academic strike.
In the best interests of the children, their parents, and the country as a whole, he urged the union to also take into account the government’s meagre income while deciding whether to end the strike.
“It is now essential for the Royal Commonwealth Society Nigeria Branch to intervene in the ongoing industrial action by members of ASUU, in Nigeria after over six months of shutting down academic activities in all public universities.
“There is the Article XI of the Charter of the Commonwealth adopted on Dec. 14, 2012 by Commonwealth Heads of Government, and signed on March 11, 2013 by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, of England, and Head of the Commonwealth.
“This article shows that access to education, among others, is accorded high priority by the Charter of the Commonwealth.
“Nigerian universities are members of the Association of Commonwealth Universities which is one of the associations accredited to the Commonwealth,” he said.
According to Bayewumi, the group promoted higher education as the foundation of stronger society and had the goal of transforming the world via it.
Therefore, he declared that it was impossible to overstate the value of higher education for a country’s social, political, economic, industrial, medical, scientific, and technological development.
“Besides, keeping young men and women idle for long at this age should be totally avoided, as the popular saying: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.
“Our esteemed young men and women should be properly educated, mentored and productively engaged for posterity of the country,” he said.
