The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, says the Federal Government can not borrow N1.2 trillion yearly to resolve the strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“Should we go and borrow to pay N1.2 trillion yearly?” Keyamo snapped while fielding questions on Channels television.
“You cannot allow one sector of the economy to hold you by the jugular and then blackmail you to go and borrow N1.2 trillion for overheads when our total income would be about N6.1 trillion. And you have roads to build, health centers to build, other sectors to take care of,” he said
Then he asked parents across the country to beg ASUU.
His words: “Like the President said the other time, those who know them, appeal to their sense of patriotism.
“Let them go back to classes. They are not the only ones in Nigeria. They are not the only ones feeding from the federal purse. The nation cannot grind to a halt because we want to take care of the demands of ASUU.”