ASUU: NANS vows to barricade all federal roads if no agreement is reached, issues 24 hours ultimatum

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The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), yesterday, disrupted activities at the National Assembly Complex and Federal Ministry of Education, in Abuja following the continued strike action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria.

 It staged a peaceful protest to register their discontent with the periodic industrial actions by university lecturers under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and failure of Federal Government to meet their demands.

The aggrieved students in their hundreds marched through the streets of Abuja with placards, chanted solidarity songs and blocked the gates of both buildings for several hours.

Carrying mattresses, cooking gases and other utensils, the students threatened to occupy NASS complex and Federal Ministry of Education until they were assured that concrete measures have been put in place by government to end the lecturers strike.

The students asked the Federal Government to honour agreements it freely entered into with ASUU and renegotiate areas that needed renegotiation. They also tasked ASUU to be open-minded, progressive and realistic in their terms.

NANS President, Sunday Asefon, who led the protest, decried the situation where ASUU had gone on strike for more than four years cumulatively since 1999.

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He urged government to persuade ASUU to suspend the strike and return to classrooms to ensure continuity in academic calendar. He also tasked the government to consider urgent investments in revitalising public tertiary institutions to accommodate the country’s growing population and its emerging needs.

The students said if their positions were not acted upon immediately, they would continue to protest every week, and even pick a more strategic venue that would impact the economy significantly.

“We demand that Nigerian students who are victims of the incessant ASUU strike must be represented in all negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU, and both parties must show proof that their children attended or are attending a public university in Nigeria,” he said.

  In Ibadan, Oyo State, NANS issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Federal Government and ASUU to end the ongoing nationwide industrial action or it would  shut down the country by barricading all federal roads.

The students, who stated this during a peaceful protest in Ibadan, advised the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve their dispute and safeguard the future of Nigerian students.

The protest, which kicked off at the press centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, Iyaganku, Ibadan, was led by the South West coordinator of NANS, Fiyinfoluwa Tegbe.

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The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, specifically accused university lecturers of being responsible for the way the Federal Government has been treating them alleging that some ASUU members had facilitated the rigging of election results for politicians, and had lost the respect of the political leadership.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards displayed during the protest read: “FG and ASUU, stop the madness,” “Stop the strike and revitalise our education,” “After the end of strike, only students lose,” “FG should learn to respect agreement,” “Age is irreversible, house rents are not refundable, stop disrupting our life plans.”

Said Tegbe: “We are calling on the Federal Government to learn how to respect agreement. We have seen on many occasions when the Federal Government and ASUU reached agreement, but the Federal Government failed to fulfil the pledge.

“Again, ASUU members should have ways to deal with issues, rather than going on strike all the time, because they are wasting our time. We are appealing to the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve this crisis and allow us go back to our classes.”

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•Kano, Plateau students appeal for dialogue

Similarly, students from some tertiary  institutions  in Kano State staged a peaceful protest. The students carried placards with different inscriptions, and marched round some areas in the Kano metropolis.

The students’ leader, Yazid Tanko, said ASUU’s strike  “is always causing a setback to their education. We are indigenes of Kano State, and we are schooling in Kano State. That is why we went to the Ministry for Higher Education to show our grievances, so that they  will convey our message to the Federal Government.”

In  Jos, Plateau State,   Na’allah Nanzim, public relations officer (PRO), NANS Zone C, said education is a right and the consistent strikes were gradually killing the education system.We want the government to know that we are critical stakeholders in the education sector and these strikes are really affecting our academic journey. When ASUU and government have issues, it is the students that suffer and this protest is to show how unhappy we are over the strikes.”

Daily Sun

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