The National Association of Nigerian Students on Wednesday vowed to disrupt political campaigns billed to start later this month in driving home their point for the Federal Government to end the ongoing strike.
WHAT WE KNOW
Nigerian students under their apex body, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), have vowed to disrupt political campaigns scheduled to start late September.
The action will be in continuation of their desire to make the Federal Government quickly resolve the ongoing ASUU strike action which has now lasted for about seven months.
In the timetable, signed by the ‘President-Elect’ of the student body, Usman Barambu, dated Monday, NANS scheduled the protests to hold zone by zone, from its Zone A to Zone F, with Abuja being the location for a final protest.
The protests, which have already begun in September, will run till October 11, 2022, after which Barambu will lead the “Abuja shutdown.”
Nigerian students, led by NANS is protesting the prolonged strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the Chairman, NANS National Taskforce on #EndASUUStrikeNow, Ojo Olumide, reiterated the students’ commitment to sustain the protest until the government resolves the seven months impasse with ASUU.
According to him, NANS will continue to ground all the nation’s public assets from roads to airports if the federal government fails to resolve its issues with the leadership of ASUU in no distant time.
NOTABLE QUOTES
Addressing a press conference, NANS noted:
“For those misconstruing our struggle, we call on them to see reason with Nigerian Students and join us in the struggle to save public education in the country.
“The leadership of NANS demands a better deal for the education of the Nigerian masses because most of the children of the privileged few now study either overseas or in Private Universities established with our common wealth across the country by the same set of people we entrusted to govern us. This is more reason they will continue to turn deaf ears to the demand by ASUU for improved standards and conditions of learning in our public higher institutions.
“Our blocking of access to public roads and ports is just a warning. If the government fails to conclude all the negotiations and agreement with ASUU within the frame of two weeks, they will witness more protests and rallies all over the country, they will also witness the annoyance, anger, and frustration of Nigerian Students who have been at home for the past Seven months.
“As we promise them that we will not allow any political campaign to hold across the country until we are back to class. This government has pushed so many Nigerian Students into depression. We say enough is enough; we can no longer bear the brunt of this avoidable crisis in our nation’s public ivory towers again.”
CATCH UP
Recall that the inability of the Federal Government to resolve the ASUU strike has forced NANS to organise protest, which started last week with the blocking of the Lagos Ibadan Express Way.
On Monday, the student body led students to block the access road to the Murtala Mohammed international airport in Lagos.
COMMENTARY
The Nigerian Federal Government disinterest in resolving the ASUU strike is alarming.
While they allowed public universities in Nigeria to be locked for seven months, their children are busy schooling in foreign countries arguably on public fund.
One curious thing most Nigerians can’t wait to hear is what the APC will say concerning youths and Education as the campaign starts next week.
Will they say education for Nigerians have outlived it`s usefulness? Will they say they have a plan for the youth?
What plan can they possibly have that excludes the education of youths, but rather prefers prolonging ASUU strike action? We just can’t wait to hear them.
