President Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge Issa has tasked Nigerians to use their votes to unseat all “parasites in government.”
The union also condemned hate campaigns which it said could plunge the country into violence if not stopped.
He charged them to ensure that the 2015 general elections to usher in new crop of leaders that are interested in development of the country.
Through the ‘callousness of the parasites, Nigerians, he said, are being looked down on not only by the developed countries but also African countries that has same history with Nigeria’
He therefore asked the electorates to ensure that corrupt and anti-people persons are legally removed through the ballot.
The ASUU president spoke at a symposium organised by the union on the 2015 General elections titled “.Towards Issue-based and violence free 2015 polls”
Dr Fagge who noted that the problems facing Nigeria such as unemployment, insecurity and infrastructure decay were results of failed leadership urging Nigeria to unseat parasites in government.
Fagge said a government policy that is focused and sustained in education sector will address ills in the country asking future policy makers to address the problems in the education sector.
Setting the agenda for new government, Fagge said the policy thrust of a new leader is to ensure that the constitution is people friendly and ensure equitable distribution of wealth.
Former ASUU president and convener of the Symposium Prof Asisi Asobie had in his opening speech condemned politicians who rather than address issues embarked on personality attacks on candidates thereby charging the polity with a threat of violence.
According to him, only an issue-based campaign can avert apathy, ensure people participation, guarantee orderliness, violent free polls and makes results acceptable across party lines.
“The environment in which the electoral process is taking place is poisoned by violence and threats of violence, not just against individuals and groups but, ominously against the state itself. We are faced with a circumstance in which the state not only appears to have lost its monopoly of the legitimate use of force and the capacity to keep conflicts within the bounds of law and order, but even appears compromised and mixed up in the entire melee.”
As things are unfolding, with the heavy emphasis placed on personality traits of candidates, their ethnicity, religion and largely distorted record of the past performance of the flag bearers of the parties, the electoral process is inherently choiceless. The shift is emphasis from personalities to programmes will, hopefully make the campaigns less emotionally charged and therefore less prone to violence”
The chairman of the symposium and Professor of Political Science, Adele Jinadu called for the reconfiguration of the Nigerian state to make politics for public interest a goal to pursue rather than politics of personal interests.
He said the invocations (PVC and Card reader) by the Attahiru Jega commission of INEC will ensure transparency and make the elections credible.
