The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, has reacted to claims that the striking lecturers are selfish in their demands.
Critics have accused ASUU of not considering the future of students and the concerns parents have for their kids by insisting on an indefinite strike.
Addressing that concern on Thursday, Ogunyemi told Daily Trust: “Don’t forget that ASUU members are also parents, but what we are doing now is that we are making a sacrifice for students to secure their future. We are sacrificing our today so that our children can have public universities that they can be proud of in the future.
“Those of us who are struggling now, went to public universities and if students are lucky to be in those universities they should also support us in defending the universities from collapsing.
“The trouble we are making is that we don’t want a situation in which our universities would collapse just like our primary and secondary schools have collapsed. That is the context from which we want people to appreciate the ASUU struggle. This is because public primary and secondary teachers were not supported to defend the schools. We have lost them; we don’t want a situation in which we will all be ashamed to send our children to public universities. So, the sacrifice is for the future of our children.”
DP
