The National Youth Leader of Abubakar Baraje-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Timi Frank, has vowed to mobilise Nigerian youths to protest against the months-long industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, Mr. Frank described as shameful government’s failure to keep its agreement with ASUU, leading to the continued stay at home by hapless students since the strike began on July 1.
His words: “The attitude of the current administration under President Goodluck Jonathan to the plight of the striking workers is an indication that he has lost track with the basic tenets of governance.
“Since all entreaties to make government honour its agreement with the lecturers has failed, the only option left for anyone concern about the future of this country is to mobilise the affected students for a mass protest.”
Continuing, Mr. Frank, the former director of Atiku Abubakar Youth Campaign Organisation, said: “Before I became the National Youth Leader of the new PDP, I had been speaking against the injustice being meted out to the Nigerian students over the ongoing ASUU strike. I can assure you that this is an issue the new PDP will address.
“I am going to take this campaign up as the National Youth Leader of the new PDP. I am going to lead a protest against the present government because it has not done anything to demonstrate that the future of the Nigerian youth is paramount in its agenda. I have begun consultations with various student groups and we will unfold our strategies for the mass protest soon.
“University undergraduates are at home, but today nobody is talking about the situation, all what they are talking about is their 2015 ambition. PDP will not give any leader 2015 that will not stand by the youths of this country that will not resolve the ASUU crisis. Anybody that wants to stand under the platform of PDP must show commitment to the plight of the Nigerian youth.”
•Photo shows a desrted UNILAG, one of the public universities shut as a result of the ASUU strike.
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