#Moodyshegsblog update : US expresses worries over ASUU/FG impasse

United States has expressed worry
over the lingering feud between the
Federal Government and the striking
public universities' lecturers over their
demand for better working conditions.
The US also warned against the
activities of touts who deceive
intending students from Nigeria.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday
in Abuja, the US Embassy Cultural
Affairs Officer, Bill Strassberger, urged
the government to resolve the crisis
with the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, saying "it is a fear, it is a
worry for us."
Nigeria currently has about 7,028
students studying at over 700
institutions in the USA.
He said, "That is something for the
Nigerian government. It is up to it to
work it out with the striking lecturers.
"We are not involved in that negotiation
but we can encourage. It is a fear, it is
a worry for us because that would
make it hard for the students to come.
"It may be difficult, but there is no
magic wand to resolve the strike,"
Strassberger added.
Advising Nigerians to shun those who
parade themselves as agents,
Strassberger said accurate information
regarding studying in the US could be
obtained from the embassy.
"Those are the touts, those are the
people that I will even call criminals
because they are stealing opportunities
by selling only documents by giving
bad information and creating a
disappointment when the person
comes in with that information or with
only document. And that is the result of
not getting accurate information," he
said.
Earlier, the Head, EducationUSA,
Jennifer Onyukwu, said the ASUU's
strike would affect intending students
from Nigeria who wish to study in the
US because of the need to obtain their
transcripts.
"There is that concern because
generally, the world has become a
global village, people want stronger
applicants in their campuses; so they
want stronger senders," she said.
Onyukwu revealed that from statistics,
Nigeria was US's largest sender of
students from sub-saharan Africa to
the US.