ASUU Strike: Students Take Over Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Floor FG Over Fuel Scarcity, Other Issues
- Nigerian students in the southwest region of the country launched a protest against the federal government in the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities strike
- The students at the protest issued a seven days ultimatum to resolve the industrial action embarked by ASUU
- According to the students, the ongoing fuel scarcity in Nigeria is a strategy created by the FG to increase the price of petroleum products across Nigeria
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Protesters under the National Association of Nigerian Students southwest zone on Tuesday, March 8, staged a protest at the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.
The Punch reports that the students at the protest marched against the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities over the failure of the Federal Government to fulfil its part of the 2009 agreement with the union.
Blocking both sides of the expressway around the Car Park C, Mowe, Ogun State, the students in the scores carried placards with various inscriptions.
Source: Facebook
They also sang several solidarity songs while condemning FG's nonchalant attitude towards the plight of Nigerians across the country. The barricade put together by the students also prevented motorists and other road users from accessing the expressway.
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However, speaking during the protest, the chairman of NANS in Ogun state, Kehinde Simeon, said Nigerians have continued to suffer in the midst of FG's failure to deliver on its responsibilities.
ASUU strike and fuel scarcity in Nigeria
Channels TV also reports that Simeon disclosed that the association was issuing a seven days ultimatum to the Nigerian government to address the ongoing strike action by ASUU and end the persisting fuel scarcity across the country.
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He warned that should the FG fail to meet NANS demand, the students would block all the major roads in the southwest region of Nigeria.
Simeon added that the leadership of the association believes that the ongoing fuel scarcity is artificial and was only created by the FG to hike the price of petroleum products.
His words:
“One of the issues is the ongoing fuel scarcity which we perceive to be a kind of artificial scarcity which the Federal Government is trying to use to depict people’s opinion and look for a way to further hike the fuel price.
“We believe that they are using this to test run and if we keep silent in the face of such oppression and we do not speak out in the interest of teeming Nigerian students because we are the ones at the receiving end, and the masses by extension, it is going to be an aberration."
“The second reason is the incessant ASUU strike. We see that the Federal Government has decided not to do the needful."
ASUU strike: FG gives newly inaugurated committee deadline to resolve crisis
The committee inaugurated for the renegotiation of the ASUU/FG agreement of 2009 had been tasked with resolving the issues causing strike actions within the next three months.
The mandate was handed to members of the committee by the minister of education Adamu Adamu on Monday, March 7.
Adamu said the committee is also expected to submit a report on its activities and developed workable terms at the expiration of the deadline.
ASUU strike: Minister Ngige meets Buhari, reveals how much FG has paid lecturers so far
The industrial strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had resulted in a meeting between the president and Chris Ngige.
The minister of labour and employment said lecturers have been paid a total of N97.2 billion since the agreement with ASUU.
Ngige added that the Nigerian government is not opposed to the payment of good salaries and emoluments to university lecturers.
Source: Legit.ng
