TheCable

Femi Adesina, presidential spokesperson, says the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will not destroy the “legacy” of President Muhammadu Buhari.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14 over the non-implementation of an agreement reached with the federal government in 2020 — on Monday, the strike was extended for another 12 weeks.

On Thursday, Buhari appealed to the union to consider the plight of students and call off the ongoing strike.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Adesina said the issue of ASUU strike in the country is an “endemic” matter, which started many years ago, adding that the federal government is committed to ensuring resolutions of the areas of concern.

“He (referring to Buhari) appealed to ASUU to consider the plight of those young ones. It shows that the president is ready to have this matter resolved once and for all,” Adesina said.

“Last week, I saw something on Facebook that alhaji Shehu Shagari was appealing to ASUU to go back to class. Alhaji Shagari ruled 43 years ago.

“That shows you that this is an endemic issue. Left to the government, the students will go back tomorrow but then the issue has to be resolved conclusively so that in another six weeks, eight weeks, or six months, we don’t go back to where we are today.

“It would not vitiate the legacy of the president in any way because this dates back in time. It was there under Shagari; it was there under Buhari as a military leader; it was there under Babangida, and it was there under Shonekan — under everybody.”