The umbrella organisation of Nigerian youths, the Nigerian Youth Union (NYU), has noted with dismay the promise by the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to intervene in the prolonged nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government.
NYU President, Comrade Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on Friday, noted that Tinubu had during a meeting with the leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Osogbo, Osun State, assured the student leaders that he will intervene in the face-off between ASUU and the Federal Government.
The Report quoted Tinubu as saying, “I am assuring you that we are not going to use the back door, because our leader, Buhari, has shown his lamentation and as a result of that has left the door open for our intervention.
“It was with great pain and revulsion that we, the Nigerian Youth Union received that mockery of a promise from no less a political merchant than Bola Tinubu.”
He said that Tinubu’s offer of mediation was nothing short of political gimmicks and playing to the gallery, making reference to four years ago that the Students’ Union Government of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), which has the APC presidential candidate as its chancellor, had to call him out for his inability to resolve the underfunding crisis that pitched ASUU against the governments of Oyo and Osun States.
Obasi said it was the same “callous” indifference that Tinubu displayed when fire gutted the Ibadan market, only for him to rush to Zamfara State to donate N50million after a similar calamity hit traders in the state.
The NYU President said that Tinubu believes that everything is about political maneuver for electoral advantage, and as such the Nigerian youths have noted his chicanery and political gerrymandering, which became apparent during the 2020 #EndSARS protest.
He said that NYU is at loss as to what moral ground Tinubu wants to intercede in the misunderstanding between ASUU and Federal Government, which has found it hard to honor its promises or make a categorical stand on crucial issues raised by ASUU?
“We are compelled to believe that the APC government has been playing political pranks with the future of Nigerian youths by keeping them out of school for the last five months, ostensibly to use the strike as an opening for its political Jagaban to corner some electoral advantage.
“If Tinubu believes that 2023 is his turn to occupy Nigeria’s Presidency, Nigerian youths have resolved to wake him up from his malevolent dream and obsession with their votes. Tinubu should be reminded that even if President Muhammadu Buhari has affirmed his lack of capacity to lead the country, it is only the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, that can act in his absence and not claimant of Emi lo kan.”
He said that Tinubu’s duplicitous promises no longer cut the ice among well-meaning Nigerian youths who have continued to experience the slavish socio-economic hardship orchestrated by “political opportunists who called themselves leaders just to deal harshly with the citizens.”
He said that Nigerians, particularly the youths, have seen through Tinubu and know that all that he dreams and schemes about is how to capture power for the sake of satisfying his life-long ambition of being President just to boast of achieving what he said the Yoruba sage, Pa Awolowo could not.
He said: “NYU wishes to remind Tinubu that he should stop mocking Nigerian youths with his political opportunism, after he could not reconcile his party or contain the self-inflicted division that his choice of same-faith running mate has thrown up, the ASUU strike is beyond him.
“The first time Tinubu insulted Nigerian youths was when he claimed to be a youth, even when he knows that it takes more than affidavit evidence to be among the youth age bracket, which his class of opportunistic politicians is tying with their academics.
“NYU hereby counsels Tinubu to keep his mediation to himself because Nigerian students and youths have resolved to make a strong statement with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) next year that enough is enough to transactional leaders.
“And for those who may want to test the resolve of Nigerian youths by deploying hard currencies to thwart the wishes of the people, let them be reminded that the Nigerian youths are ready to do what their Egyptian counterparts did to rescue their country.”
