NANS protests ASUU strike, accuses lecturers of rigging elections for politicians

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) defied security at the National Assembly gate on Monday, as the students carried out their earlier threat to protest against the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

RELIABLESOURCENG.COM reports that the students had warned last week about the protest, as part of a larger agitation that would see them blocking off all major roads leading into, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to press home their point.

Led by their national president, Sunday Asefon, some of the students gathered at Unity Fountain in Abuja, displaying various placards and chanting songs of solidarity.

‘ASUU Must Go! Open the gate!’ the students chanted as they headed towards the gate of the National Assembly.

They were however stopped by security operatives at the NASS gate. A few of the students, however, tried to put up resistance.

NANS National president, Sunday Asefon, said the police officers were meant to join the protesting students because they have children in schools who are currently at home, due to the strike.

He insisted that education is a right of every Nigerian youth and that ASUU members need to resolve their disagreement with the Federal Government so students can go back to the classrooms.

“We are not here to fight. We are here to meet the Minister of Education,” Asefo said as the students stood at the gate of the NASS complex.

READ: ASUU Strike: Students threaten to block all roads into Abuja

Meanwhile, speaking at a protest held at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, the Southwest Coordinator of NANS, Tegbe Steven Fiyinfoluwa, vowed that students will block all the federal roads on Tuesday, if the Federal Government and ASUU failed to reach an agreement.

The B Zone of NANS advised government and ASUU to resolve their crisis and end the ongoing strike by the university lecturers for the sake of the students.

The students who protested at the Oyo NUJ Secretariat carried placards, some of which read: “FG and ASUU, stop the madness”, “Stop the strike and revitalise our education”, “After the end of the strike, only students lose”, “FG should learn to respect agreements”, “Age is irreversible, house rents are not refundable, stop disrupting our life plans”.

They accused ASUU of rigging elections for politicians, adding that the union needed not to go on strike whenever they had a disagreement with the same people they helped into offices.

“We are holding our peaceful demonstration here today because of the lingering crisis between ASUU and federal government which has been a reoccurring event over the years.

“Unfortunately, we students are always at the receiving end.

READ: JUST IN: ASUU declares total, comprehensive strike

“If the federal government and ASUU refused to resolve today, we won’t hesitate to go by the way of violence.

“We are calling on the federal government to learn how to respect agreements.

“We have seen on many occasions when the federal government and ASUU reached agreements but the federal government failed to fulfil the pledge.

“Meanwhile, it is the same members of ASUU that rig elections for politicians. Though we don’t have any issue with them because they are our fathers and teachers but we need to say the truth.

“Again, ASUU members should have decisive 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 the issue and allow us to go back to our various classes.

“The protest is holding across the country today.

“If the Federal government refused to settle today, we shall continue to return to the street for protest until our demands are met.

“The instruction from the national office of NANS is that all the federal roads should be blocked but as a coordinator, I have to consider many factors including security implications before given such instruction to block all the roads. “If peradventure ASUU and the federal government refused to make up today, we will block all the federal roads tomorrow.”