By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu

One week into the four-week warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to compel the federal government to heed to its demands, parents of affected students have condemned the action, feeling the effects on the students.
A cross section of parents who spoke to The Tide in PortHarcourt, yesterday, said the incessant strike action by ASUU has affected the students adversely in their academic pursuits.
A retired civil servant and father of a year four Accounting student, Dr Nwokeocha Smith said, this whole thing is becoming worrisome. How can a student who is to use four years for his course of study now use six years. Some of them could no longer go for the National Youth Service Corps all because of this on and off strike actions by ASUU”.
A businessman, Fred Manoah,who decried the situation said, “we need these children to graduate so they can now help us especially considering the economic situation we are into”.
“I wish that ASUU will find another way of settling this matter with the federal government because at the end of the day, the government does not have anything to lose since their children are in schools abroad”, Manoah said.
Another parent and mother of two undergraduates, Mrs Miriam Miebaka Horsefall, said “it is not funny at all. Some of these students are at the verge of graduating and then this strike. It is a warning strike, yes but who knows if it will later last for another one year or more and the effect, devastating. You know, it is said that when two elephants are fighting, the grass suffers”.
According to her, the incessant strike actions by the ASUU are capable of preventing young graduates from gaining employment.
In her words, “now that there is age limit in employment, these children need to graduate as at when due and gain employment in order to help themselves and their parents too”.
The parents unanimously called on the government to intervene, not just to save the situation of the children and students but the educational and future of the country.