The protracted strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has continued to elicit barrage of reactions from Nigerians.

An animals rights activist, Dr Shehu Abdulkadir Zailani, has lamented that the strike by the University teachers does not only affect the students alone but pet animals too such as cats residing in the shut institutions.

Zailani, who is the vice president of Animal Welfare Society of Nigeria (AWSON), made the revelation on Thursday in an exclusive chat with LEADERSHIP.

He said many of the cats in the University communities were starving and losing weight due to absence of students at hostels to feed them.

"After the 15th recently concluded Ahmadu Bello University Alumni Association Annual General Assembly, as usual I drove through the Samaru campus at night meeting just some few individuals on the premises.

"However, the most conspicuous of all that I saw was a clowder of cats at the front of Amina Hall, and I asked my friend what about this large number of cats here? He said they are stranded as they have no food to eat.

"Under normal circumstances, when students are on campus, the cats eat from the remnants in students' hostels and now that the campus is shut down they have nothing to eat.

"He told me that sometimes the cats would go to the main gate and aggregate looking for what to eat, and some good people around would help them.

"I am, therefore, calling on ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria to call off this strike even for the sake of these innocent souls," he pleaded.

According to him, AWSON was established in 2007 with the objective of improving, developing and promoting animals welfare standards and preventing cruelty to animals in Nigeria through education, advocacy, care, public awareness, legislations, among others.