Elechi Amadi Urges ASUU To Embrace FG’s Offer

Popular writer and chairman of the Rivers State Scholarship Board, Dr Elechi Amadi has called on striking universities lecturers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to embrace the Federal Government offer so far to the union and return to the classroom.
Dr. Amadi in a chat with newsmen in his office on Wednesday stressed on the need for a fundamental solution to ongoing impasse in the country’s universities.
The Rivers State Scholarship Board boss argued that the frequent strikes embarked upon by ASUU as a way of asserting their rights was, “a very dangerous trend to ground the university system”.
Dr. Amadi noted that it would be irrational to accept in its totality to all ASUU demands because, according to him, there are state universities, which do have different management and peculiar situations.
“I believe they should accept the Federal Government’s 40 percent and then they should go back to their various State governments to negotiate. It is difficult to have a uniform system considering the situation on ground,” the popular novelist declared.
The Rivers State elderstatesman while lamenting the gradual ebb in the reading culture of the people blamed the situation on internet and television.
Besides, he also noted that a lot of people are in a hurry to get information and so overlook the advantage of obtaining knowledge in book reading.
Consequently, he remarked that with the non-availability of good books within the country, children are hardly exposed to the gains of reading, since reading culture is developed during childhood.
In the light of the situation, Dr Amadi called on the State Government to establish libraries most especially in public schools.
“A good school should have a lending library…but it is unfortunate that most public schools don’t have libraries since most of them have been converted into classrooms,” he added.