Strike : Blame ASUU, FG for increasing unwanted pregnancy, crimes by students — School proprietor

By Phil Okose, Onitsha

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and Federal Government have been blamed over the alleged unwanted pregnancy carried by female undergraduates and increase in crime rate due to the prolonged (eight months) strike action embarked upon by ASUU.

Blaming the duo, an Onitsha based school proprietor, Nnabuenyi Jude Oniah, Tuesday, described the strike actions by ASUU as a National embarrassment and accused both Federal Government and ASUU, of endangering future of Nigerian youths.

He warned that the ugly incidence, if not nipped in the bud, could frustrate educational pursuit by the youths, pointing out that for the either months that the strike lasted, most students had also started learning various trades, lamenting that up till now the Federal Government could not amicably settle ASUU grievances since the lecturers have returned to the  classroom.

He explained that every responsible government that has the interest of her youths at heart knows how to appease a tensed situation and prevent it from escalating.

Oniah, a member of the prestigious Agbalanze Society of Onitsha, maintained that both the Federal Government and ASUU are to blame for the unsettled dispute as they contributed in their various ways to ruin the future of some university students as the strike lasted.

” Some female undergraduates must have carried unwanted pregnancies , while others engaged in prostitution and other crimes due to idleness while the strike lasted.

“Some male students must have used the inglorious period of the strike to engage in violent crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery and other social vices,” he stated.

He, however, condemned the protracted eight months strike by ASUU arguing that the university body should not demand for payment for work not done as paying salaries for redundant lecturers would encourage redundancy among Nigerian public and civil servants.

While urging the Federal Government to display maturity in handling national issues, Chief Oniah disclosed that monies being lavishly spent by politicians in the midst of hunger and suffocating poverty among Nigerians encourage other Nigerians to seek increment on their welfare as their salaries could no longer carry them in view of rising inflation in the country.

He cautioned the Federal Government and ASUU to display patriotism and maturity while dealing with important and sensitive national issues.