Amidst the protracted strike involving University lecturers, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have faulted the Federal Government’s approach to finding solutions to the impasse calling for an end to the industrial action to enable students to return to school.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the industrial action has now entered its seventh month after the university teachers downed tools on February 14th this year.
The clerics called on the Federal Government and the ASUU to find a quicker and better way of resolving the crisis so that public universities would reopen again.
This was disclosed in a communique issued at the end of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Sacred Heart Pastoral/Retreat Centre, Orlu, Imo State, 8 – 16 September 2022.
Part of the communique which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York read: ‘The protracted strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since 14 February 2022 is unacceptable. ASUU has cited the non-implementation of agreements by the Federal Government as the cause. We know that efforts have been made to resolve the matter.
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‘However, we believe that a resort to courts may not be the best and fastest way to solve the problem. Therefore, we renew our call on the Federal Government and the ASUU to find a quicker and better way of resolving the matters under contention so that public universities will reopen.’
The Bishops also urged governments to make adequate policies and provide the enabling environment for the creation of more jobs, as it would reduce the level of poverty, insecurity and unrest in the land.
Meanwhile, the Catholic bishops also decried the alarming rise in insecurity in the country, declaring that nowhere is safe for citizens to reside, trade, study, or practice their faith any longer.
The clerics aid Nigeria was soaked with the blood of the innocent, lamenting that the country had come under the siege of Fulani militia, masquerading as herdsmen.