ASUP: The neglect of technical education is the major cause of insecurity

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State branch, Mr. Adeyemi Komolafe, has said that the neglect of technical education by successive administrations in the country has contributed to the emergence of the Boko Haram sect.

Komolafe said this in an interview with our correspondent in Ede on Saturday.

The ASUP chairman said that the Federal Government had shown little or no concern for the strike embarked upon by the polytechnic lecturers. The strike, he said, was almost a year old.

He said that Boko Haram sect would have found it extremely difficult to find foot soldiers to carry out deadly missions if the youths were encouraged and given free access to technical education.

He said the youths who were being recruited into the growing army of the insurgents would have had the capability to turn down the extremists if they had had technical skills and were engaged in meaningful ventures.

Komolafe said, “If polytechnic education has been well funded and government has encouraged youths to be interested in technical education, I believe that all these youths engaging in criminal activities and especially those engaged by the Boko Haram sect would not have been available to be used.

“Members of the Boko Haram sect are capitalising on the unemployment and poverty among the people to engage them. And people who don’t have any means of livelihood are susceptible and could be easily brainwashed to engage in crime.”

Source: Punch