The Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has appealed to both the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU} and the Federal Government to sheath their sword and call off the prolonged strike for the sake of the future of the youths.
Governor Okorocha made the appeal at the 25th convocation ceremony of the Alvan Ikoku Federal college of education, Owerri Imo State.
The Imo Chief Executive who pointed out some of the dangers posed by the prolonged strike, lamented that the long stay at home could pave way for involvement of the students in criminality and prostitution. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop’’, he stressed.
Governor Okorocha noted that education remains the key to any nation’s development and maintained that education should be made available not only to the children of the privileged and rich but extended to the children of the poor. He said that his administration decided to make education free at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels to provide opportunity to children of the poor and less privileged in the state to attain their desired dream in academics.
‘I believe in free education because I know that HIV/AIDS today and other dangerous diseases that plague the society could have a solution proffered by that poor child in the village who has been refused education. The bad leadership we experience today in our state, our nation and local government could be solved by that child who is languishing in the village and who has nobody to send him to school’, Governor Okorocha explained and called on other leaders in the nation to make education free for the Nigerian child.
He congratulated the graduating students for completing their studies and the rest of the students for being free from cult activities. The Governor further commended the provost of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Dr. (Mrs) Blessing Ijioma for her dedication and infrastructural transformation of the institution and assured the school of necessary assistance of the Imo State government.
