Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Calabar zone, has said Nigerians blaming the union for the prolonged industrial action lacked knowledge about their real demands.
The zonal coordinator and senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Uyo, UNIUYO, Dr. Aniekan Brown, spoke during an interview in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Brown said: “Essentially, when we opted for this struggle, we had known that it wasn’t supposed to be a case of popularity contest.
“I salute the support we’ve had over the months. It was a well-thought-out decision to embark on a strike for a better future for all of us.
“But my view is that anybody who will take offence with the union, anybody who is blaming ASUU today does that out of ignorance. So, I will appeal to them to take it easy and understand with us.
“What ASUU is doing is a selfless struggle. For those who are blaming ASUU, our challenge is to educate them, because if they had known why we are on strike, they will not blame ASUU.
He said: “That also tells you the average of education in our country, because we’ve held press conferences, we’ve had appearances on Television, Radio programmes at various stations and levels. We even interpret in vernacular, and you still find people not following.”