Two hundred and sixteen Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora have signed an online petition asking the FG and the ASUU to end the industrial dispute which has kept public universities shut for four months.

The petition launched on change.org, a go-to site for web protests, is asking President Jonathan and the National President of ASUU, Dr. Nassir Faggae, to reach an amicable consensus.

In the petition entitled, "Mr. President and the Academic Staff Union of Universities: Please End the ASUU Strike now, the petitioners said the Presidency should stop playing politics with education of the Nigerian youth.

 The petition read in part, "Since the ASUU strike began, it has been over half a semester, a lot in the life of students waiting at home, not knowing when the strike will be over. The future of Nigeria is at stake. Stop playing politics with education.

It is urgent we send a message that it is long past time for the FG and ASUU to reach consensus and get students back to school by ending this strike.

A majority of non-students who appended their signature to the petition noted that they joined the online protest with a view to crying out to ASUU and the FG to consider poor students whose parents cannot afford the luxury of sending them overseas to study like the sons and daughters of political office holders.

Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, joined other students and concerned Nigerians clamouring for a speedy end to the crisis rocking the higher education sector.

Atiku, who featured the link to the petition signing website on his Twitter handle, wrote, "We should never play politics with education. Our future depends on it. It is time for the FG and ASUU to reach a consensus and get students back to school by ending this strike.