ASUU Tasks FG on 16m Unemployed Nigerian Graduates

Ademola Babalola in Ibadan

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has tasked
President Muhammadu Buhari on the plight of 16 million
unemployed Nigerian graduates and about 12 million out of
school children to safeguard their future and protect them
from being tagged youth sitting down and awaiting freebies.

The Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter of the union, Dr.
Deji Omole, who stated this in Ibadan on Sunday said it
became imperative for the minister to be reminded that the
future of the children of the masses must not be used to
play politics with the declaration and wondered why in the
last week of April, the plan to declare emergency in the
sector had not been perfected.

ASUU said it was sad for a government that fails to improve
access to education for millions of youth yearning for
education to state that the youths are sitting down and
waiting for freebies.

“What has the government done to salvage the condition
of 12 million out of school children in Nigeria? What has
the government done to ensure employment for over 16 million
unemployed Nigerians? What plan does the government have for
graduates who go through the mandatory National Youth
Service Corps (NYSC) every year but frustrated by lack of
job and hostile environment to even start a small and medium
scale business? If the government fails to attend to the
needs of the youths today, they will become nightmares for
Nigeria in the future.”

ASUU recalled that the minister had raised the hopes of
declaring emergency in the sector this month apparently to
proffer solutions to the low quality of education being
offered Nigerian children.

Omole wondered the methodology to be used in upgrading
quantity to quality education following the paltry seven per
cent of the national budget allocated to education by the
Buhari administration.

The ASUU boss who lashed out at the Buhari-led
administration for not investing in the future of Nigeria
through education but invests in propaganda, noted that most
of those in government enjoyed free education, health and
other social services when they were younger in Nigeria.
Despite enjoying the best in their youth days, Omole

regretted that the kind of education being given to Nigerian
children are below universal standards, and called on Buhari
to ensure that the kind of education Nigerian children are
exposed to is of global standard and at par with what his
children had abroad.