ASUU Strike: Government Playing Chess With Students’ Lives — John Baiyeshea (SAN)

Lawyer to the sacked and reinstated University of Ilorin 49 lecturers, John Baiyeshea (SAN) has accused the Federal Government of playing chess game with the lives of students of universities in the country on its recent action on the protracted Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

Mr. Baiyeshea added that government ought not to have taken the issue to court, liking the step to flogging a dead horse.

“I am begging everybody to face this government. And we should all know that the totality of the issue is that government created the whole problem,” the senior advocate of Nigeria told our correspondent in an exclusive interview.

Said he: “Given my insight and experience as counsel to UNILORIN 49 lecturers case from the Federal High Court to the Supreme Court for nine years (between 2001 to 2010), I will say that it is unfortunate that Nigeria as a court has learnt and forgot nothing.

“That experience alone— because it was serious problem. The UNILORIN ASUU had problem with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. It is the same scenario that is almost playing out. This government is not interested in the welfare of students, the lecturers and in funding education generally.

“This problem is not supposed to be as big as this. People say ASUU is using the same tactic all the times, but government too is using the tactic of ‘we are government and that ASUU cannot challenge them.’

”People in government have a problem of inflated ego. Look at the way government’s representatives are talking down on those lecturers as if they are criminals.