Owners of private Universities had advised the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to appeal to those managing the education sector in the country rather than threaten to seal off  privately- owned universities over the prolonged strike  embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

CEOAFRICA news gathered this call was made by the Vice Chancellor of Babcock University, Professor James Makinde and the President of the Western Union of Seventh Day Adventist Church in Nigeria, Dr Oyeleke Owolabi, while deliberating on the threat by NANS to seal off privately-owned universities.

Makinde said the student body had no right under the Nigerian law to take such action over the lingering ASUU strike, saying all the universities were licensed to operate under the nation’s law.

The VC, who spoke alongside Dr Owolabi at a press conference organized during the Union constituency, said if the failure of NITEL could not affect privately- owned telecommunications companies in the country, then the students could not embark on such action.

Makinde also asserted that students of private universities are not members of NANS and would not be forced to participate in the activities of the body.

He however sympathized with the students, who had been kept out of school for more than eight weeks, but advised them to think of a better option of ending the strike.

He purported that private universities had provided better alternative as all public universities had been under lock and key in the past few months adding that “the church-owned universities like Babcock have given hope to parents and young Nigerians, who need to acquire tertiary education.

He as well called on the Federal Government to stop playing politics with the lives of the students, saying they are the future leaders.