As the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embark on a 4-week nationwide strike, Nigerian students have started protesting in some institutions.
As a way of expressing their anger towards the ongoing industrial action, students of the University of Benin took to the streets, barricading the ever-busy Benin-Ore-Sagamu road.
The students’ actions caused a gridlock on the highway for about four hours.
The student protest…
Letting out frustrations on the frequency of the strikes affecting their education, the students matched out with placards with the writings; “5 years course has turned to 7 years”, “FG settle ASUU” and “Enough is Enough” at the entrance of the Ugbowo campus of the university chanting “aluta continua…” and “education is our right,” among others.
President of UNIBENs’ Students Union Government (SUG) Foster Amadin, said, “Since two days now, we have been to our classes and there have not been lecturers to teach us. So we have nothing to do.
“We asked what was happening and they told us ASUU is on strike again; that they are on one-month warning strike.
“So we now felt that we should come to the street to say we are tired.
“We hereby express our grievances to the federal government, to the state government and whoever cares to listen and we say we are tired.”
He added that the Students Union urges ASUU to end the strike action, adding that programmes that are meant to run for four years are now run for longer periods.
“We are spending five years and even more. We don’t want it anymore.
“Let the federal government see to the demands of ASUU and let ASUU also consider the federal government’s position.
“All we want is to go back to our classes. I want to graduate, I want to leave the school. I am tired and that is our grievance,” he said.
What you should know
Nairametrics reported that the National President of the union, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke on Monday at a press conference after a two-day meeting of its NEC members held at UNILAG said the strike which will be comprehensive and total would last for an initial period of four weeks.
