ASUU blasts Anglican bishop over comment

The Academic Staff of Union of Universities has blasted the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, over the clergy’s comment on the strike by the university teachers. Chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter of the union, Olusegun Ajiboye, said in a

release titled, ‘Primate Okoh goofed’ that the Anglican bishop’s comment did not depict him as a religious leader with responsibility to integrate warring factions. Ajiboye said, “The Primate has demonstrated the greatest ignorance about the union and the numerous achievements the union has recorded in repositioning Nigerian universities in the past.
As a revered man of God, it is expected that he should guard his mouth on issues as important as education that concerns the teeming youths of our country. “Primate Okoh should stop playing politics with ASUU. He should face squarely the work of his ministry and get busy with it if he cannot be part of the solution to the logjam created by the

Nigerian government in the education sector. We are sure that the statement credited to Okoh is his personal view that does not represent the opinions of the responsible men and women in the Anglican Communion who believe that Nigerian youths deserve the best education like all other youths around the globe.” While accusing the striking lecturers of taking advantage of the situation to earn income at private universities in the country, Okoh had said the national outlook of the lecturers’ union should be

discouraged by government. Meanwhile, the Christ Apostolic Church has asked the Federal Government to meet the demands of the striking universities’ lecturers. The CAC said this during the 2013 Pastors’ Conference, Osun State,

according to a statement on Tuesday. General Evangelist of the church, Pastor Kayode Abiara, noted that the current state of the Nigerian nation called for sincere reflections on the part of the citizens. Abiara said this became imperative to safeguard the
future of the young Nigerians who had been idle as a result of the current industrial action embarked by the union.

He said, “The political brick-bats happening in this countr,y if not addressed immediately, may dissuade international investors. “Politicians should leave 2015 in the hands of God and concentrate more on making life meaningful for the masses as 2015 is still far away. “As a matter of urgency, the Federal Government should meet the demands of the university lecturers so that our children can go back to school so as not to jeopardise their future.”

Source:- The Punch