The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has vowed to block the Third Mainland Bridge and ground activities and all the Lagos ports this week as it intensifies its protest over the 7-months strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
This is as the students union said that its protest at both the domestic and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport is only a preamble, adding that it is ready to go on a week-long protest until the Federal Government accedes to its demands on the resolution of the strike action of the ASUU.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Chairman, NANS National Taskforce on #EndASUUStrikeNow, Ojo Raymond, where it accused the Federal Government of deliberately denying the children of the common Nigerian access to quality education.
What the NANS top official is saying
Ojo, who accused the Federal Government of mobilizing the armed forces and other security personnel against their genuine struggle, insisted that the protest would continue until the government makes the educational sector a priority.
The statement reads, “For the past few days, we have been protesting simultaneously round the states of the country to protest the continued ASUU strike which has lasted over seven months as a result of the ‘crass irresponsibility’ of the Federal Government to fulfil the terms of the agreement they willingly signed with ASUU.
“As an association, we are saddened by this development which has resulted in the closure of universities. And, this act, we believe, is deliberate by the Federal Government to deny the children of the common Nigerian access to quality education which violates the provisions of Chapter two of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“We are using this medium to reiterate that this protest continues and that we will not for any reason back down until the Federal Government takes the educational sector as a priority. It is quite pathetic that the Federal Government is making use of the armed forces to quench a genuine struggle of Nigerian students despite the fact that these officers are also victims of the system whose children are also affected the same way we are.
“Today’s protest at Muritala Muhammed International Airport (Domestic and International wings) is just a preamble of what is to come in days ahead. And, we are informing the general public and the international community to pay serious attention to this struggle because we have been duly informed of the plan of the Federal Government to mobilize heavily against this protest. This was even witnessed today as anti-riot police officers and men of the Air Force were mobilized to attack us not until they were prevented by the mass of Nigerian students.
“We maintain that this protest shall last a week here in Lagos State and would be held simultaneously at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Nigerian Ports Authority, and the third mainland bridge until our demands are met.’’
What you should know
- Recall that on September 13, members of NANS started their protest against the lingering ASUU strike with the blocking of the Shagamu interchange of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
- Hundreds of the protesting students demanded an immediate end to the prolonged strike urging the Federal Government to meet the demands of the striking lecturers to enable them to return to class.
- NANS had earlier today (Monday, September 19), made good its threat as it grounded activities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport with its protest against the strike, causing traffic by blocking the road leading to the airport.
- They defied the downpour to express their grievances at the airport, causing traffic around the airport amid the presence of a combined team of officers of the Lagos State Police Command, Rapid Response Squad, Lagos Airport Police Command, and other security agencies.
- The students union had earlier condemned the Federal Government’s ‘No work no pay’, calling it a Fascist one and says it is unacceptable to all the millions of students in Nigeria.
CRABS IN A BUCKET mentality…
Because it is not the so-called “common people” and the “children of common people” who use Third Mainland Bridge or work and do business at the ports. Do they need Google Maps to find Aso Rock Villa or NASS?!
No wonder Nigerian graduates struggle to find unemployment – they’re obviously as CLUELESS as their rulers. SMH