Why Jos Archbishop Lost Sympathy for ASUU

Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama rued the prolonged strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying he had lost sympathy for the lecturers.

Archbishop Kaigama, who spoke at the 80th Anniversary of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Jos, Plateau State, on October 6, 2013, Sunday, said that members of ASUU had lost focus on the cause for their battle.

The cleric said that ASUU, by allowing the strike to linger and allowing students to stay at home for four months running, had exhibited utter insensitivity to the plight of Nigerian students and their future.

He said he regretted that the association had failed to yield to pleas from all quarters, including the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, stressing that ASUU had shown that it was fighting for other causes other than the future of education in the country.

“Initially I was with ASUU, but when they have allowed the students to stay at home for four months now they begin to lose my sympathy. You don’t go on a strike for a long time, especially in a sector like education, which is the bedrock of the development of any society.

“You said you are fighting for the students and have allowed them to stay at home for more than four months, you must be fighting for something else. You have made your point and all I expect is that they should have listened to all the pleadings by Nigerians, including the Catholic Bishops Conference, which has just ended its meeting in Benue State and where we appealed to ASUU, in the interest of Nigerian students, to go back to the classroom,” Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama said.
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