Osun Council of Obas urge FG, ASUU to end ongoing strike
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
Osun State Council of Obas has called on the Federal Government to bring an end to incessant faceoff with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The traditional rulers who expressed grave concern over the imbroglio noted that the development is giving the education sector a serious setback.
The council, at the end of its monthly meeting in Osogbo, called for calm and restraint on the part of the two warring sides for the overall development of the education sector on one hand and the country at large.
The monarchs further noted that as custodians of culture and traditions of the Nigerian federation, they cannot continue to fold their arms and watch things to degenerate beyond limit.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers, Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, Laminisa 1, who presided over the meeting on behalf of the Chairman of the Council, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja 1, said education remains the bedrock of the growth and development of any society.
He emphasized the need for both sides to bury their hatchets and allow reasons and decency to prevail.
“No nation desirous of making it big in all sectors of its existence can readily joke with its education sector because it is the live wire of any nation which in turn serves as its bedrock.
“In order not to further pull the hands of the clock back in this sector because of the attendant dire consequences especially in the area of development, I am using this opportunity on behalf of my colleague Obas in Osun State to call for an amicable resolution of the crisis for the overall interest of the students, their parents and the Nigerian federation.
“It is high time they saw reason on the need to embrace peace and harmony for the growth of our country’s educational sector. The future of our children must not and should not be mortgaged on the altar of complex and ego being displayed between the Federal Government and ASUU. Enough is enough.
“Against this backdrop, I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to use the executive power and authority at his disposal to nail the coffin of this impasse in the mud once and for all.
“Buhari should please act fast so that the present and future generations of Nigerian students and their parents will record his name in gold as one leader who brought final sanity into the education sector,” he said.
