The Federal Government on September 4, 2013, Wednesday, rebuked university lecturers, ASUU, over their ongoing indefinite strike.
Mr. Labaran Maku, the Minister of Information, announced the government's attitude to the strike while speaking to the reporters on September 4, 2013, Wednesday, after the weekly meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation, FEC, in Abuja.
"This country belongs to all of us, if we all insist that every sector problem must be completely solved, we will down tools we will not work, then the country will stop working," he said.
The Minister of Information also pointed out that if all the sectors of government decide to down their tools until all their problems are solved, the country would shut down.
Mr. Labaran Maku insisted that the Government implements a 2009 agreement it had with the Union.
"We are partners with ASUU, we are friends. They are our patriots and we understand the critical role that the universities teachers are doing to create a new society that we are hoping to have.
"But at the same time, this is a reality question that we need to look at and we have to put the nation first," he said.
The Minister also said the Federal Government has spent a lot on the development of tertiary education across the country, appealed to the lecturers to have a rethink on its demands by considering the fact that there are many other competing demands from other sectors.
He said outside of security, education is one of the sectors the government had expended a lot of money on.
"I know all of us desire more from the system but the truth is that there are limitations and from the limitations we have, we believe that ASUU really needs to do rethink and ensure that we reopen our universities because really we are feeling the pain of our children being at home and this indeed is completely avoidable," he said.
"Don't forget that in 2010 we announced a 53.4 per cent increase on public salaries across board which affected all people in the public service that has still left a huge deficit in the annual budget of the country.
"I just want to say that it is unfortunate that our students are still at home. It is very sad because the federal government has done so much in the last three years for education."
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