The Department of State Services on Thursday appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off the ongoing strike.
The Director of the Service in charge of Yobe, Mr Yunusa Abdulkadir, made the plea in Damaturu at the Third Quarterly Conference of the State Directors of Security in the North-East Zone.
He noted that the strike, which paralysed university education in the country, had security implications.
“In as much as we know that ASUU is pursuing a genuine cause, they should take a deeper look at the peculiarities of the North-East region that has stayed for over a decade in the hands of insurgents,” Yunusa said.
Meanwhile ASUU president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke said it would be counterproductive if the lecturers were forced back into the classrooms.
He was reacting to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria’s ruling ordering ASUU to call of the seven month long strike. ASUU has hinted that it would appeal the ruling.
“Let me tell you the catastrophe of what has just happened. The last time this happened was during the military era.
“I can assure you, when this strike is over, a large number of our lecturers are going to migrate from this country. When you are using force to push your lecturers to class.
“First of all, they said, ‘If we owe them, if we don’t pay them, they will come and beg us.’ Seven months, it didn’t work. Our members are still alive. And then, they went to court, you want to force them. It is a catastrophe,” Osodeke said.
