From Joe Effiong, Uyo
The African Council for Communication Education (ACCE, Nigeria Chapter), in consultation with the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State has postponed her 23rd International Conference/AGM indefinitely, due to the ongoing ASUU Strike.
The Annual International Conference and AGM tagged ACCE-UNIZIK 2022, on the theme; “Communicating Science, Technology, and Innovation in Times of Economic Distress, Terror, and a Global Pandemic”, was initially scheduled to hold from Tuesday, October 25 to Friday, October 28, 2022.
The postponement was made public in a release jointly signed by Prof. Nnamdi T. Ekeanyanwu, Prof Ezekiel Asemah and Dr Obiorah Edogor, National President, National Secretary ACCE, and COC, ACCE-UNIZIK 2022 respectively, made available to newsmen in Uyo on Tuesday.
ACCE regretted that the protracted ASUU National Strike has shut the nation’s public universities since February 2022, causing the majority of members and potential participants untold economic and psychological hardships.
“The postponement is caused by the protracted ASUU National Strike that has shut the nation’s public universities since February 2022, causing the majority of members and potential participants untold economic and psychological hardships.
“The Conference/AGM will, however, reconvene three months after the NEC of ASUU calls off/suspends the National Strike. This is to enable the ACCE National Council, Conference Organizing Committee of UNIZIK, as well as ACCE members and potential participants to prepare to attend and by so doing make the Conference/AGM a huge success.
“The ACCE will announce the exact dates in due course, but the programme schedules subsist. With this announcement, the abstract submission for the conference will now continue until the date ASUU suspends the National Strike.
“The main theme of the Conference remains “Communicating Science, Technology, and Innovation in Times of Economic Distress, Terror, and a Global Pandemic”. Professor Bruce Mutsvairo of the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, will deliver the Lead Paper while the nation’s top science and nuclear agencies will facilitate special sessions,” the release stated
The release also indicates that ACCE is by this move, making a statement in support of ASUU in its struggle to salvage what is left of Nigeria’s battered public university system as well as condemns, in strong terms, the Federal Government of Nigeria’s management of the public universities and its unfortunate disdain of anything education in Nigeria.
“Quality education plays a huge role in the development of any country and the earlier the Nigerian Government realises this, the better for the country,” it said.