Falana observed that the African Action Congress (AAC) is the only political party discussing education policy and offering Nigerians a true transformational blueprint that will drag Nigeria out of the dark.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has said the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) must get a commitment from all the political parties on the revitalisation of the universities and other tertiary institutions.
Falana observed that the African Action Congress (AAC) is the only political party discussing education policy and offering Nigerians a true transformational blueprint that will drag Nigeria out of the dark.
Regretting that parties are not talking about how to address educational issues, the human rights activist insisted that there must be a programme that will take education out of the morass in which it has found itself in Nigeria.
The umbrella body of lecturers in the Nigerian public universities, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike since February 14, 2022, over the refusal of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government to implement an agreement it signed with the union in 2009 on the funding of university education in Nigeria.
The strike will enter its eighth month this October following a deadlock in the government’s renegotiation with ASUU.
But featuring on Arise TV Morning Show on Wednesday, Falana said that AAC is the only party that has shown it has good plans to improve the state of education in the country.
WATCH: @AACparty Is The Only Political Party Discussing How To Improve Education In Nigeria –Falana
📹:@ARISEtv pic.twitter.com/pmhpDoUSMw
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) October 6, 2022
He urged the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to insist on getting commitments from other political parties on how to bring concrete development to Nigeria, "before we can vote for you," adding that he was aware that “the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress have what you called the workers’ charter of demands".
"Again, workers are saying if you want us to vote for you, you have to respond to our demands and of course, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is on strike to get our universities run properly so that they can compete with their counterparts all over the world.
“I expect ASUU to also insist on getting the commitment of political parties with respect to the revitalisation of the universities and other tertiary institutions.
"There must be a programme that takes education out of the morass in which it has found itself. So, unless we discuss programmes and so far, one of the political parties discussing these issues are - you haven't mentioned it, African Action Congress (AAC). You are bogged down, you're only talking APC, PDP and Labour Party."
Falana insisted that "we must look at the programmes of all the political parties and then get their commitments to address the problem of insecurity”.
“How can we embrace technology?" he asked.
He queried the whereabouts of the $470 million-dollar contract that was awarded in 2010 to install Close-circuit televisions, also known as video surveillance in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt to ensure security in the cities.
"Whereas $470 million dollars contract was awarded in 2010 to ensure that we have CCTV cameras in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt - where are they?" he asked.