A prominent philanthropist and Waziri Matazu, Hon. Zaharaddeen Babba Mazoji, has made an urgent appeal to the Governor of Katsina state, Dikko Umar Radda, to cut short his foreign trip and return home to address the ongoing strike at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYU) Katsina.

In a press statement released on Monday in Katsina, Hon. Mazoji emphasised the need for the governor’s immediate intervention to resolve the dispute and restore normalcy to the university.

He noted that the strike has left many students stranded in hostels, while others have returned home, disrupting their academic pursuits.

Hon. Mazoji questioned why the governor cannot utilize the funds earmarked for his trip to settle the outstanding disputes with academic and non-academic staff, describing it as an obligation that requires urgent government attention.

He suggested that using a portion of the funds allocated for the governor’s trip to settle several months’ worth of salaries for university staff would be a more beneficial use of resources.

The amount of money allocated for the governor’s trip would be more usefully spent on settling several months’ worth of salaries for university staff, Hon. Mazoji said. This would go a long way in resolving the strike and ensuring that our children return to their studies without further delay.

Hon. Mazoji’s appeal to the governor comes amid growing concerns about the impact of the strike on students, staff, and the state as a whole. He urged the governor to prioritize the resolution of the strike and ensure that the university returns to its academic mandate.