By Rosemary Ogbonnaya
National Association of Nigerian Students,NANS, has threatened to continue the already ongoing protest in the 36 states of Nigeria, including FCT, to ensure that Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU end incessant strike in the country.
The angry students said this after a meeting between the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and NANS executive over the ASUU strike ended abruptly.
Speaking to Journalists during the protest, the NANS National President, Comrade Asefon Sunday threatened that the students body would ensure that South- East students who observed stay at home order on Monday join the subsequent protests.
The aggrieved students barricaded the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Education, carrying placards with various inscriptions, they also temporarily blocked the entrance gate to Phase I, Federal Secretariat Complex, housing the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment among others until the intervention of a Police Officer, Abdullahi A.H, who tried to pacify the students with the promise to arrange a meeting for them with the Minister.
The Nigerian students threatened to continue with the protest in the 36 states of the country until the Federal Government and ASUU reach an agreement to end the incessant strike.
ASUU began a one month warning strike on the 14th of February 2022, over government’s unfaithfulness in the implementation of the Memorandum of Action it signed.
Among the ASUU demands include: adequate funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, Universities Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS), promotion arrears, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU/FG agreement and the inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System Payment,IPPIS.
Speaking during the protest, NANS National President, Comrade Sunday Asefon said the leaders in the country had enjoyed free quality education in the past but want to punish the current generation with disruption in the sector.
He said, “It is disheartening to note that the Academic Staff Union of Universities,ASUU,has gone on strike more than four years cumulatively since 1999. The consequences of this development are grave on the part of the students who are the victim of these incessant industrial actions embarked upon by ASUU as a result of labour disagreement with the Federal Government. The resultant effect of these incessant strikes is inconsistency in scholarship, research, and learning output.
“At the end of every strike action, ASUU members get their salary, government officials and politicians get their pay, Ministers in charge of the Ministry of Education and his counterpart in the Ministry of Labour get their pay and allowances for unproductive meetings with ASUU, but the students get nothing than the inability to get mobilized for NYSC as a result of age limitation, limited job opportunities as a result of age limitation, untimely death of students traversing the poor Nigerian roads unnecessarily, all as a result of incessant ASUU strike.
“It is more worrisome that most of the industrial actions could have been avoided if the government has been responsible enough to fulfill promises/agreements freely entered with ASUU over the years and fulfill their part of the bargain. Public tertiary institution in Nigeria has taken a downward slope in recent year and there is an urgent need to fix the system. Many students no longer trust the education outcome of our tertiary institutions as a result of the incessant strike and infrastructural neglect from the government.
“These developments account for the high level of migration of Nigerian students abroad in search of stable and quality education. Many of our students are currently trapped in war-ravaged Ukraine as a result of the incessant strike in our universities and lack of adequate infrastructural development.”
Speaking further, the NANS president said, “The Federal Government must as a matter of urgency honour every agreement freely entered with ASUU and renegotiate areas that need renegotiation in good faith with ASUU while we call on ASUU to be open-minded, progressive, and be realistic in their terms.
“Federal Government must do all it takes to convince ASUU to suspend its strike and return to the classroom immediately to ensure continuity in our academic calendar.”
The student body also called on Federal Government to consider immediate and urgent investment in revitalizing public tertiary institutions in Nigeria to accommodate our growing population and the emerging needs of this century.
“We demand that Nigerian students who are the victims of the incessant ASUU strike must be represented in all negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU.
“We also demand that government representatives and ASUU representatives at the negotiations must show proof that their children attended or attending a public university in Nigeria.
“We, therefore, plead with ASUU to call off the strike while they device new means of holding the government accountable without necessarily going on strike,” he added.
At the NANS meeting with the Minister, The Whistler newspaper quoted Adamu as having said, “I must begin by telling you that I am very disappointed if this is the way you want to put your case across to us. What you have said should have been told to the ASUU leadership.
“What is (it) that we should have done that we have not? Instead of coming here, you should have addressed your lecturers.
“The only point that you made that is worthy of giving attention, is that you said students should be involved in the negotiation process is the only thing I am going to take out of all you have said.”
