The proprietors of private universities in the country have called on the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to appeal to those managing the education sector in the country rather than threaten to seal off privately- owned universities over the protracted strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Speaking on the threat by NANS to seal off privately owned universities at the weekend in Akure, the Vice Chancellor of Babcock University, Professor James Makinde and the President of the Western Union of Seventh Day Adventist Church in Nigeria, Dr Oyeleke Owolabi, described the threat as an empty one. Makinde said the students body had no right under the Nigerian law to take such action over the lingering ASUU strike, saying all the universities were licensed to operate under the nation’s law. The VC, who spoke alongside Dr Owolabi at a press conference organised during the Union constituency, said if the failure of NITEL could not affect privately- owned telecommunications companies in the country, then the students could not embark on such action. Similarly, Makinde explained to the students body that students of private universities are not members of NANS and could not be forced to participate in the activities of the body. He sympathised with the students, who had been kept out of school for more than eight weeks over the protracted strike embarked upon by their lecturers, but advised them to think of a better option of ending the strike. He also called on the Federal Government to stop playing politics with the lives of the students, saying they are the future leaders. Speaking on the high cost of acquiring private university education in the country, Dr Owolabi said churches in Nigeria had come to the aid of the education sector and prevented it from collapsing. He said private universities had provided better alternative as all public universities had been under lock and key in the past few months adding that “the church-owned universities like Babcock, have given hope to parents and young Nigerians, who need to acquire tertiary education. Although people complain of high cost of fees, but considering the time wasted during strike period like this, one will agree that these privately-owned institutions are not expensive afterall as there’s no doubt that one can graduate with a PHD at the age of 25 in Nigeria.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 10:33:00 +0000
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