ASUU Strike: We‘ll continue to occupy major highways — NANS

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Tuesday said its members in the nation’s tertiary institutions would continue to occupy major highways in protest against the ongoing nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

NewsWireNGR had earlier reported that NANS, South-West zone, on Monday, said it would commence protests on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Sagamu Interchange) over the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The association’s position was contained in a statement by its coordinator, Adegboye Olatunji.

 “Since the inception of this administration, we have seen how meagre sum is allocated to the educational sector. It is based on the foregoing that we declare a protest against the prolonged ASUU strike which has ultimately affected the progress of Nigerian students for the past six months. And, we also pass a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, and Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

“The protest shall be held till the strike action is resolved. Convergence point: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Sagamu Interchange).”

The situation left many motorists plying the road stranded with their passengers.

NewsWireNGR reports that the Union had on February 14, 2022 embarked on industrial action and since then has been unable to reach an agreement with the federal government.

FG has also dragged the Union to the National Industrial Court requesting an order for ASUU to resume while the dispute is being addressed.

The Industrial Court on Monday however adjourned the case till Friday, September 16.

The students have, however, vowed to continue the protest, adding they were ready to give it all it takes to go back to the classrooms.

Addressing journalists at the scene of the protest, Mr Afeez Akinteye, the National Vice-President, NANS External Affairs, said: “Our demand is not new; it is for the government to end the ASUU strike now.

“We have had enough of this. We started the protest today; we will continue until the strike is called off.

“We don’t want to know how they will do it, because government has the money and the power.

“We are just interested in going back to the classrooms, they should fund education and end the ASUU strike.

“With the new leadership of NANS, it is not going to be business as usual,” Akinteye said.

“We have packed our loads from our homes and we are now ready for this struggle until the strike is called off.

“Over 500 of us from various universities nationwide are staging this protest, saying ‘End ASUU strike permanently,” Akinteye said.

Also, Mr Elvis Ekundina, the NANS Deputy Senate President, said that students would continue to block all the federal roads until the government resolve the issues with ASUU.

Ekundina said that quick action should be taken to enable the students to return to the classrooms, saying that they were most affected with the current faceoff between the Federal Government and ASUU.

Commenting, Mr Damilola Simeon, a NANS member, said that students were in support of proper funding of the nation’s educational sector.

Simeon appealed to the Federal Government to pay all the outstanding arrears and salaries of the lecturers.

”We are not in support of the policy of ‘No Work No Pay,” he said.