ASUU Strike: We Will Ensure Govt Waves Registration, Hostel Fees, Pays Students, Says NANS President

• The federal government and ASUU might be in for a tough ride in the coming weeks if the ongoing closure of public universities stops
• The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have threatened to hold both entities responsible for wasting the time of students
• Although a resolution has not been reached by both parties, but hopes are still high following intervention moves by the House of Representatives

FCT, Abuja - The president of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, the umbrella body of Nigerian students, Comrade Usman Barambu, has said that Nigerian students are prepared to hold both the government and ASUU responsible for failing the Nigerian students.

Barambu in an exclusive chat with Legit.ng said that at the end of the strike, his union will place their demands before the federal government and the school authorities for wasting the precious and academic time of the Nigerian students.

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The NANS president, lamenting the huge loss as a result of the strike said it can’t be quantified as the students have lost both money, and knowledge and also wasted time.

According to him, calling off the strike is not just enough as both ASUU and the government will be made to pay for the losses incurred by the students in the course of the strike action.

He said:

“We, the students are always at the receiving end. Seven months and still counting, just for nothing. Before you know now, it will be a landlord/tenant crisis because we pay monthly for our rents and not per session.

“You have spent 7 months out of school, that doesn’t concern the landlords. Once they open schools, we are going to table our own demands before the government too. And part of these demands will be the waving of our registration, hostel fees, and releasing of funds to students for the losses incurred during the strike. This will be paid directly to the students.

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“The government should credit students’ accounts directly. We will table these before the government once school resumes. This will let the federal government and ASUU to realize that there is always a repercussion for throwing students out of school because of their disagreement. It’s not just enough to call off the strike, you need to pay for the losses. That is our stand for now.”

Blaming ASUU for failing to call off the strike despite the outstanding court order, he said:

“But for them to have ignored the court’s judgment, it shows that there is something ASUU is hiding from us. Also note that there are offers made to ASUU by the federal government in terms of salary increment, IPPIS, earned allowance and others, so at least, if you table ten demands and five to six are met, then you need to begin to think of calling off the strike in order to continue with the negotiation, “ he told Legit.ng

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Recall that ASUU has been on strike for more than 7 months and all entreaties to end the action have failed.

A recent court judgment has ordered the union to resume school, but schools have remained shut days after the ruling.

Reports says ASUU has appealed the case and its outcome will determine if the strike would be called off.

Source: Legit.ng