 Welcome back, it's still the breakfast and plus TV Africa and we'll move on to the next conversation of the day. This time around we're looking at the issue with the nation's education system, specifically what's been happening with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, extending its strike by another 12 weeks. Now the Academic Staff Union of University says it will not yield to the decision by the Nigerian government to starve, in quote, its members over the ongoing prolonged strike. It described the decision as ill-advised and said, rather than forcing its members to back down, it would complicate matters. Now, as a president, Immanuel of Saudi Arabia retreated this on Monday in a statement issued to announce the extension of the three-month old strike by additional three months. He decried the failure of the government to exceed its request and accused the elected and anointed government officials of showing no concern because their children and wards allegedly school abroad. Now, meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Student Nantes on Monday also vowed to block all federal roads and airports in the country to protest the 12-week extension of strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities as soon as President Sunday a chevron in a statement made available to our correspondent condemned the inaction of the administration of President Mohammad Rouhari over the industrial action which started on February the 14th this year. Right now, we have ASU Chairman Unilac Chapter Dili Ashirou joining us. Good morning to you, Ms. Ashirou. Thanks for joining us on this particular discussion. Yes, from what I just read, ASU is saying that it would not be deterred. Are there any talks of no pay, no work going on? Let me just start by that. To continue on the platform and allow some kind of support to be brought to the school. We'd like to add one more thing I want to talk to you about, I don't think we need the solution to that. Differentially, our National Association is that sometimes it needs more time to put it all together and use it to fight them. That's why I'm very glad. Ms. Ashirou, are you still there? Okay, fine. We have reports from the federal government. Let me just read something to you so I could actually get your reactions concerning that. Let me just read it, verbatim. Director of Press and Media Relations of the Federal Ministry of Education Ben O'Gong, who actually announced something yesterday, accused your union that's ASU of intimidation and bullying. It said ASU had disclosed its reserve following its national emergency, national executive council meeting of the union yesterday. The director who described the 2009 agreement between your union and the federal government as having been reached at gunpoint said some of ASU's demands can't be implemented. Two things right now, it is accusing you or the ministry rather, it's accusing you of intimidation and bullying, as well as saying that the agreement reached in 2009, specifically he quoted, saying that it was reached at gunpoint. All right, we'll try and reconnect with Deli Ashirou, who seemed to be having some audio issue with him, but we'll try and get that all sorted out. So let's say, you know, it is surprising, you know, all that is coming off from this since yesterday, ASU extending its drug by three bones. And the Federal Ministry of Education claiming that the agreement in 2009 was reached at, quote, unquote, gunpoint. And it's saying that ASU is intimidating and bullying the government. No, but if you actually get to a point where you say there was an agreement right, that means you actually agree to whatever it was. So I really don't understand the dynamics surrounding saying that it was reached at the point of bullying, boy, you got to a point of agreement, you agreed to it. That's what it is. So now you're trying to tell us the process that led to it. I really don't know if there was a gun literally put to the heads of those who were representing government at that point. Maybe we need to get all of that explicit. But what we, the people know, because what's being made available to the public is that ASU and the federal government had gotten into an agreement and you had agreed to, you know, some certain terms that they had presented to you. And one would expect that if you get into an agreement, it's just honorable to leave the part of, you know, meet the issues and what are the issues that have been asked. I mean, just recently, we also, because of some of the funds that we saw that the federal government had approved, the invention funds to test your institution. And that's why you were, we saw that headline talking about tech fund and how much has been disbursed, you know, to the universities, to polytechnics and colleges of education. It's really, it's really surprising. I don't know. So a lot of people would say that that particular disbursement was done just because of ASU was actually bent on continuing the strike. But we have delayed ASU back. Thanks for staying with us, Mr. Ashiru. You see, it's apparent that government is not the left of ideas because how would you tell the world that an agreement you freely entered into in 2009, 13 years ago, was done at some point. Our union only happened. We don't carry on. Not only that, government that has reached more than three memoranda of action with our union on the 2009 agreement will now turn around to say that it's been bullied. And then it shows that we have a bunch of people who really don't know what government is because if they do, they will understand that they are playing with the lives of millions of Nigeria and act in the best interest of the country. How many of those who are talking about sitting agreement at gunpoint and you have their children spitting in Nigeria, the world that are in Nigeria in privileged groups, now they have a shot that there is educational stratification between the rich and the poor in a society that should be egalitarian. So if today they really don't know how to defend their ineptitude and inefficient in government, the best way to apologize to Nigerians, quickly call our leaders and resolve the crisis in the interest of the country. Okay, let's also look at another one. It talks about the approval of intervention funds. The government is saying they have approved intervention funds and that's why you have the top fund. Some amount have been approved to public institutions. So you have ASU, I mean, the universities, the polytechnics and the colleges of education. Does that not count for anything? What exactly is it that ASU is still asking for? We are not asking for intervention funds and they cannot, the trade comes at all. What we are asking government to do is to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement so that we stop talking about 2009 in 2022. That's why number two, we are fortunately enrolled on IBTIF. We have approved a government and IBTIF is a fraud. The people who are opposing it are fraudulence. The IBTIF is compromising the sovereignty of our nation and destroying the problems of our education system and that we should be taken out of that platform. Those are our cause demands. We are not asking for funds from the master's table and nobody should say they have very good intervention funds and consequently there are more than ASU strongly for. Our demands are clear and we have made it more to comment and they should ask for that election and stop all these diversified tactics of relieving intervention funds and useless funds that we never get to invest in. All right by the federal government through its director of press, federal minister of education, director of press seems to believe that your extension by three months is actually unnecessary that in the issues could be resolved even if you don't, if you are still northern strike but then again he also mentioned that most of your demands cannot be met. Are they really cast in stone water? How far reaching are these demands? If they come with the demands they should resign. They should give governance for those who can do it and it's a shame that our our country is on leadership. Since when are we trying to notice that you are still there? All right still on that I'm not trying to hold the fort for the federal government but it seems to believe that over the years it has been doing so much into the investor system. It quoted that TETF on this pumping in a minimum of about 230 billion into the university's yearly. How true is this and how far has that actually gone? Has it really changed anything in the university system? I am not in a position to know how much they have come into Nigeria University. They should ask my staff a lot who are they calling through and together destroying the education system to respond to how much they have shared to them over the years. What we are saying is that TETF on that they are okay is better than our union. They took a lot of people of TETF on because of our critique of where they disbanded on me. And also they are made one of the owners of TETF, the executive secretary of TETF on. And they are they are treating the society with issues about the situation in the university. What we are simply saying is that TETFs were giving money to the university as much as they should ask them what they have done with it. So are you saying Mr. Ashif are you saying that this are you saying that this one is being dispossed? So are you saying that this money is being dispossed to the universities are not actually appropriated to what they are supposed to be used for? So are you saying that these monies that TETF has claimed have been dispossed to the universities are not actually used for what they should be ordinarily used for in the university system? There are a lot of abandoned TETF projects all over the university. The culture that is going on between TETFs on and their contractors and the university administrators. So Mr. Ashif are you not so good at the citizen panel you said? I think now the right people of the citizen panel is seen in the ministry of education. That ministry is in a position and is studying education in Nigeria and their work clearance of that ministry should be taken seriously by any Nigeria. They would be in Nigeria and they are wanting contracts all on the source of the translation. Connecting people back from contractors. So how are those contractors going to pitch in the leader of the mandate that they have? Okay let's also ask the question because you have manufacturers association I mean coming out and asking you to say that you have the entire country in this array almost every sector is in this array and your strike have been incessant. The question is strike actions for us over time has not necessarily yielded any results if you look at it because it feels like that is not correct. It has yielded results. I saw if it has yielded. People should stop saying what they don't know. Our strike has yielded results. It was our strike that went to TETFs. The one that the ministry is today is the president. It is our strike that is still speaking for which universities are clear. If we are only going on strike, this government is letting go to transport the community like they are doing for the primary and secondary schools. If they don't like it but they are saying that they are going to pass a message as we are on strike, learn about things that are to look at the issues in the strike. The government is giving rise to universities who is the national part of the profession that is saying that our trade has not yielded results. That we still have published universities today. All right, Mr. Ashur. All right, Mr. Ashur. All right, Mr. Ashur. We will still come back to you but right now we understand that we have them. The president of national association of Nigerian student lands joining us right now. Good morning to you, Sunday. Ashur, thanks for joining us on this particular discourse. Sunday, can you hear us? Or Sunday, can you hear us? Okay, let's get back to Delay Ashur. I will try and connect with Sunday. Hello, Sunday. Can you hear us? I can hear him. Hello, Sunday. All right, Sunday, if you can hear us, from what we have seen all over the papers, your union, the national association of Nigerian student plan to or plans to shut down airports and roads in the coming days over this particular strike, can you give us an update? For bringing me on the show this morning, first and foremost, let me thank all the media houses who have been giving support to Nigerian students. Since the beginning of this strike, I must commend everyone. Let me start by saying this. We saw it coming that Ashur is going to roll over again. And we felt Nigerian student needs to do something to avert it. And that is why we came up in the price of this month to issue a statement after our school's meeting. And we believe the government will ribbon engage or call the lecturer. We have to do a meeting where issues like this can be solved. But unfortunately, since we are not seeing anything, and what we believe now is as a leader of Nigerians today, we have to take a destiny into our hand. And immediately we saw the news of Ashur extending the strike again for another 12 weeks. I quickly called for and the circuitry meeting, which I assume we met yesterday. And we agreed that let every non-GCC in the various states, with all the SG presidents in all our campuses who are closed, and all the Zuna secretary should move out as a matter of urgency to show their grievances by blocking all the federal route, moving to airport, and moving their Colombia every state down so that let all the governments in our federal state feel the heat. The government must feel the heat. We can offer their hands and be looking staying at home for another three months. Yes. So in 2020, we were at home for nine months. Now these have started like we should play in February 14th. See where we are today. Since the government, like I have said, they are not talking about us. Our issue is no longer discussed. And our interests are Nigerians today. I have always said, and I continue to say it, this presumably battle between the federal government and Ashur is only affecting Nigerians today. Ashu, if they call Ashu to a meeting, that is where you can be talking about Ashu shifting grant. I've seen a lot of people, I was in a radio interview from Bataqa today, they called me there. Some people are saying these and that, but I told them, when you are not being called for a meeting, how do you want to shift the grant? If they call Ashu to a meeting, then we can be able to please your Ashu to also shift their own salt, to also consider Nigerians to them in their own stand. But when you don't call them for a meeting, when you don't even care, it's because all what they care about now is about their family. Then thereafter, we'll be talking about the 2023 election, which is February and March next year. So Nigerians should then continue this renewal. So that is why we are visual out the statement that all our structures across all the 36th day, they should move out. Let this happen, let this move us, let this capitalist see by the time they wish to meet their flight, by the time they could not get through, they could not meet up with the appointment that they would know that it's a fire on the mountain. We have always been at the brunt, but I think it shouldn't be, and there is need for the government to take proper action on this issue of this as a strike in the Nigerian society. All right, thank you so much. We have been speaking with the Nantes president, that's the national association of a Nigerian student, Sondi Asefo. And of course, we also heard ASU chairman, Unilac chapter Dili, as she's talking about the extension in the one strike by the union. And what's going to be happening in the next couple of days, that's as much as we can take on this particular discuss, we'll take a quick break and we'll return with more conversation. Do join us again.