Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has appealed to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to end their face-off in the interest of university students in the country.
Ribadu spoke on Saturday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, during the public presentation of a book, ?Compendium of Nigeria?s Laws on Corruption, Economic and Financial Crimes?, which was written a legal practitioner and Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Chuma Chinye.
He said: ?Let me join other well-meaning Nigerians to call on the Federal Government and ASUU to bring the lingering industrial action to an end. Nobody wins always. The students are the ones paying this face-off. Talents are being wasted as the strike goes on. I appeal to both sides to amicably resolve the issue.
?It is true that our universities need funding but in pressing for that, we have to trade with caution. If we don?t take time, our education is dead. Please and please, consider our children and make sacrifices.?
Incidentally, Ribadu made the call the same day President Goodluck Jonathan also appealed to ASUU to call off their strike at an event in Ado-Ekiti.
The former EFCC boss stated that to eradicate corruption and economic crimes in the country, Nigerians, especially university students need to familiarise their selves with relevant laws o economic crimes and corruption.
Also speaking, President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Okey Wali, SAN, described corruption as a cancer in the Nigerian system, which must be dealt with, saying that the fight against corruption has not been fruitful due to outdated laws in the country.
Wali said: ?Most of the laws on corruption and economic crimes are simply outdated. How can you expect a law of over 100 years to take care of economic crimes and corruption of today? While we have issues with the application, we need to update out laws on corruption.?
