NANS To Obstruct Political Campaigns Over Lecturers’ Strike
THE leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has said except the government accedes to the demands of their striking lecturers, it would continue to mobilise its members nationwide to obstruct free flow of traffic in major cities.
The students’ leaders hinted that it would also disrupt political rallies if the universities are not reopened before September 28 when political campaigns ahead of next year’s general elections are expected to kick off.
Speaking in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday, September 21, Chairman of NANS National Taskforce on #EndASUUStrikeNow, Mr. Raymond Ojo, said the students were more united now to defend their common interest.
Recall that the protesting students had on Monday, September 19, grounded movement along the Murtala Muhammed International Airport road in Lagos, leading to many travellers missing their flights and commuter held up in traffic for hours.
Ojo stated that the students would unleash their “anger and frustration” on the Nigerian government until public universities are reopened, adding: “NANS will continue to ground all the nation’s public assets from roads to airports, including Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) if the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, fails to resolve with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in no distant time.
“Our blocking of access to public roads and ports is just a warning. If the government fails to conclude all the negotiation and agreement with ASUU within 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 Nigerians students into depression. We say enough is enough; we can no longer bear the brunt from this avoidable crisis in our nation’s public ivory towers again.”
He also called on Nigerians to join the protesting students in their struggle to “rescue tertiary education from further collapse,” noting: “Whether court rules in favour or against ASUU, the students will not relent in our resolve to disrupt government and public organisations, including campaigns, if our lecturers are not back to classrooms.”
