Asuu,Fg impasse needs spiritual impasse-David Mark

Senate President, David Mark, Sunday pleaded with
the religious leaders across the country to quickly
intervene in the crisis rocking the nation’s education
sector, as strike by the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) enters its third month.
Addressing the second plenary assembly of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in
Otukpo, Benue State yesterday, Mark said the
differences between the federal government and
ASUU required spiritual intervention in order to end
the imbroglio.
Mark lamented the plight of the students, who have
been deprived of a stable academic calender and the
consequences of the strike, pointed out that “the
culture of confrontation and conflict does not build
harmony between and among people, therefore, we
must always seek the culture of dialogue,
reconciliation and forgiveness. We have a duty to
work hard to overcome all barriers to peace.”
On the issue of insecurity in the country, the Senate
President stated that the state of insecurity in the
country was worrisome, considering the high number
of innocent Nigerians who die everyday as a result of
bombing, armed robbery, road accident, pagan ritual
activities and cultism.
He charged Nigerians not to use religion for negative
purposes, stressing that “religion is to unite and not
to divide, to love and not to hate, to gather and not to
scatter, to be just and not to be unjust.”
Mark also frowned at provocative utterances by some
highly placed people that were capable of tearing
down the society saying such utterances should be
curtailed.
He, however, admonished that the present religious,
economic and political turmoil should not scare
anybody, adding that: “as Nigerians, we should
remain resolute and focused. As a people, we should
continue to fast and pray. I acknowledge the fact that
prayer without good work is dead. We should also
embark on serious good work at all levels to ensure
good governance and a better Nigeria.”
Mark, who expressed optimism that Nigerians were
capable of overcoming the challenges, said this could
only be achieved if we work together and see
ourselves as one people bound by a common mission
and purpose.