Funmi Lawrence
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Sonny Echono, has called on Nigerian Students to embrace dialogue as a means of resolving conflict rather engaging in violence.
A statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Ben Goong, Deputy Director (Press) of the ministry quoted Echono as making the call at a one day capacity building retreat for students’ union executives in federal tertiary institutions.
Represented by the Deputy Director, Colleges of Education, Mr Femi Ajaye, Echono said that students should always take adequate steps to prevent strife, which could eventually lead to shutdown and disruption of academic calendar.
He also said that the students’ union executives were the institutions’ image makers and as such, had a duty of ensuring peaceful and uninterrupted academic calendar.
In his remarks, the Director, Tertiary Education, Mr Samuel Ojo, decried the rising cases of suicide among students of tertiary institutions in the country in recent times.
He appealed to them not to see suicide as an option in life, no matter their feeling about their academic performance.
Also speaking, Mr Francis Binuyo, a resource person at the event, advised the students to shun violence, while urging them to use information creditably well in order to achieve their goals.
