Student body, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to shut down all airports around the country until the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) calls off its lingering strike.
The Quest Times reports that the ASUU strike has persisted for 7 months following the failure of the Union and FG to reach a settlement despite several meetings between the parties.
Chairman, NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Ojo Raymond Olumide, said the move to shut down the airports has become necessary as students want the world to know their plight.
According to Olumide, both the local and international airports will be occupied by students.
He said, “We shall begin another round of protest next week on Monday, to #OccupyTheAirports. We want to let the world know about the anguish students are going through.
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“Nigerian students whose parents create the commonwealth cannot continue to be suffering at home alongside our lecturers while the few who gain from our sweats and blood have their kids abroad jollying and flexing.
“We call on students to rise and join us as we take our destinies in our hands. Our demands remain consistently clear and simple. We call on ASUU leadership for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss solidarity actions and plan for the next phase of the struggles.
“Nigerian students are not subjected to security agencies and we haven’t seen any step from them to avert ASUU strike. Olumide said security agents cannot say they are not aware of what is going on. Being on the road for the past four days garnered us a lot. Grounding airports is for us to get solidarity and we will keep on grounding the local and international airports.
“They know the effect of grounding the airport. The only thing we request from them is to open our campuses. They should give enough budgetary allocation, we are not asking for 26 per cent we are asking for 22 per cent.
The student body also described the No Work No Pay policy directed at striking lecturers as fascist, passing a vote of no confidence in Ministers of Labour and Education, Dr Chris Ngige and Mallam Adamu Adamu respectively.
“We pass a vote of No confidence in both Ministers of Labour and Education. We call on the Buhari government to pay all outstanding arrears and salaries of the lecturers. The policy of “No Work, No Pay” is fascist; it is, therefore condemnable and nonacceptable to millions of students in Nigeria.
“We will, by this statement, not beg again. We shall be mobilising all students to shut down the country. No Education! no movement” the NANS chairman declared.