A non- governmental organization NGO One Love , OLF, has expressed discontentment over the decision of some serving Ministers contesting for presidency to purchase the N100 million nomination forms .
The NGO described the act as unpatriotic considering the current strike embarked upon by the Academic Union of Universities, ASUU keeping students at home.
The Founder and President, OLF, Chief Patrick Eholor while speaking with Journalists in Abuja on the ASUU strike, expressed dismay on what he described as “sheer neglect by the government of public universities in Nigeria”
He said it is unacceptable and should be resisted, because it is not good for the future of Nigerians and Nigeria
He added that it has been a recurring action that has negatively impacted the academic system, which the effects are grave and inimical to nation development, hence Nigeria’s public educational system is now a mockery in the comity of nations.
He said: “I am deeply concerned that even the ministers negotiating with ASUU purchased the N100million APC presidential nomination form when our students are still at home. It is sad.
“For the overriding interest of our nation, but more particularly for the huge number of students, parents, academic and non- teaching staff in all federal and state-owned universities across the country who have been affected directly by this avoidable strike.
“Our youths in public universities are losing their most active and creative years due to no fault of theirs, while their parents are undergoing a painful agony of witnessing their children and resources waste away under their very noses.
“Sadly, the children of most top government officials attend private universities or study abroad; they do not feel the distress and torment of the ordinary parents which we continue to call for a law mandating State actors their nuclear families to attend only Nigerian institutions while in office.
“In addition, the government is also wasting our national resources because by the end of the strike, all academic staff and non-teaching staff that are mostly inactive now would still receive their salaries.”
Eholor however tasked the Federal Government on urgently addressing the strike in the best interest of the Nigerian youth and the future on Nigeria.
“The Federal Government should take urgent steps to immediately find lasting panacea in resolving the issues associated with the ongoing Universities’ workers’ (ASUU, SSANU, NASU and NAAT) strikes which commenced with an ASUU warning strike in February 2022 and have continued till date”, he said.
He expressed the readiness of the Foundation to engage with leadership of ASUU through dialogue, “About engaging ASUU, we in One Love Foundation are not violent people.
“We believe in dialogue. We are ready to act as middlemen for the interest of the nation. What we are talking about is the future of our youths. Education is the bedrock of any nation and we shouldn’t joke with that.
“We are always ready to contribute our quota to peace to reign. It is for the interest of the nation. One Love Foundation is always interested in the development of Nigeria. Anything that would make our students go back to school is a welcome development to One Love Foundation.”