The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has vowed to continue the ongoing nationwide protest against the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The students noted that the next phase of the protest would target the shutdown of airports and other sources of Federal government’s revenue until the strike is called off.
The NANS Southwest Zone D made this known on Monday in Abuja during a protest at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The students kicked against alleged petition and call by a group for the disqualification of Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun from running for a second term.
They urged the Federal Government, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to ensure diligent prosecution of the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris.
Idris was arrested by EFCC in connection with alleged diversion of funds and money laundering activities to the tune of N80 billion.
The students, who were led by the NANS Southwest Coordinator, Adegboye Olatunji, and Chairman of NANS Ogun Joint Campus Committee (JCC), Kehinde Simeon, during the protest, passed a vote of confidence in the Ogun State governor and asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership to clear him to contest for re-election.
The protesters wielded placards of various inscriptions such as: “NANS Southwest Zone D pass vote of confidence in Dr. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State”, “We can’t afford to lose a good man cheaply”, “Dapo Abiodun has prioritised our education”, and “Dapo Abiodun is the best man for the job,” among others.
Olatunji told reporters that the students were led by their leaders to APC secretariat to present their position to the leadership of the party and to dissociate themselves from the recently sponsored and ill-motivated protest against Prince Abiodun, calling for his prosecution and disqualification from contesting re-election.
He said: “We call on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to discountenance their frivolous petition and trash it because to us as student leaders of Southwest, they are an illegitimate group.
“Governor Abiodun remains one of the best products of the All Progressives Congress, as his education policy is enviable in the Southwest.
“May we equally take this opportunity to pass a vote of confidence in Prince Abiodun, the Executive Governor of Ogun State, for his commitment and sacrifices towards education development in the state.”
Speaking about the strike embarked on by ASUU, Simeon called on the Federal Government to look into the plight of the lecturers and by extension the students, who bore the brunt of the strike with a view to acceding to the demands of the union.
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has denied plans to suspend its ongoing industrial action.
The General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said the union would meet today in Abuja to consult with its members on the state of the strike.
He confirmed that the Federal Government had begun paying NASU members the arrears of the consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage, saying not all members had received the payment so far.
Adeyemi said NASU could not take a unilateral decision to suspend a strike being prosecuted under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of both NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
– Media Report