The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Sunday expressed its displeasure over 16 million unemployed Nigerian graduates and about 12 million children out of school.

The Union called on President Muhammadu Buhari to safeguard future of concerned Nigerians, and protect them from being tagged “youth sitting down and waiting freebies”.

Chairman, ASUU, University of Ibadan, Dr Deji Omole, who stated this in Ibadan on Sunday added that 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 teeming millions of youth yearning for education to state that the same youth are sitting down and waiting for freebies.

“What has the government done to salvage the condition 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 Corp 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 Youth today, they will become nightmares for Nigeria in the future.”

ASUU recalled that the Minister had raised the hopes of declaring emergency in the educational sector of the country in April this year apparently to proffer solutions to the low quality of education being offered Nigerian children. (Daily Trust)