Paschal Emeka, Abuja

A former governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Chief Alex Obiechina has decried the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), strike, saying that if such should be allowed to continue all the time, it will do more harm than good to the country’s economy, education and development, among others.

He therefore advised governments at all levels to prioritize education so that the nation can achieve rapid development in all sectors

Obiechina stated this shortly after receiving Doctor of Humane Letters in Abuja from Hipdet University Education Foundation of New Jersey in the United States of America (USA)

He encouraged young people to embrace education, which according to him is the way forward in every country, just as he pledged to put more efforts in supporting young Nigerians achieve their educational goals.

Obiechina observed with concern and dismay that, if education is treated with disregard, it will do no good to anyone and noted that the few youths whose parents could afford foreign or private universities wouldn’t be enough to manage the affairs of the country in the future.

He added that since politics is a game of numbers, the majority who didn’t go to school will always win election which, according to him will result into electing half-baked educated people into office. This, he said will always draw the country back. “So the best you can give any country is education,” he stated.

Still lamenting on the danger of keeping the youth out of school, by treating education with disregard, as well as saying that since idle mind is a devil’s workshop, Obiechina noted that, youths when kept out of school for a long time, could engage in vices such as taking drugs which, according to him may lead into vices like kidnapping, banditry, robbery and other acts of terrorism. Urging the government to prevent anything that will set the nation back or put the country into jeopardy, he said that a stitch in time saves nine.

While appealing to the public owned University lecturers and the government to find a way of resolving the lingering trade dispute, he reminded them that the future of the country is everybody’s business. “A situation whereby the leaders of tomorrow are ignored and allowed to be moving about and doing nothing, will unlikely augur well in any country,” he observed, even as he reiterated on the need for the striking lecturers and those in authority to do the needful for the interest of the leaders of tomorrow.