EDThe umbrella body of students in Nigeria, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to embark on a nationwide protest if the Nigerian Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) do not resolve their differences to make sure the industrial action is called off before March 28.
NANS in a statement on Wednesday by its President, Sunday Ashefon, the association threatened that it would mobilise Nigerian students to take to the streets after the expiration of the ultimatum if the strike persists.
NANS in a statement made available to THE VENT REPUBLIC, said:
“We advise the Federal Government and ASUU, in their best interests, to reach a compromise between now and Monday, March 28, 2022 or risk our unprecedented fury.
“We hope the time between now and March 28 will afford our influential past leaders the window of opportunity to lobby their friends in government to see the danger our collective rage will cause the nation.
“The National Assembly should also do everything possible within this time to end the strike. Since they rejected the bill prohibiting public officers from sending their wards to institutions abroad, they have the mandate to make our public institutions work and now that they are failing in that responsibility, the public will respond appropriately.
“Should the strike continue after our ultimatum, students across the country will resume to the new university created by the Federal Government and ASUU called ‘The University of the Street’, with main campus on the Airport Road, annex campuses in all the major roads in Abuja and Distance Learning Centres in all the federal roads across the 36 states of the federation.
“I therefore direct students to bring their mattresses and cooking utensils while resuming in their new campus in Abuja and all the designated campuses across the country.”
The students union also passed a vote of no confidence in the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, NANS believes they can not continue to lead the government’s negotiation team.
“They are either incompetent to engage productively with ASUU at the highest level or they lack the goodwill and trust to build consensus and find an amicable resolution,” the association said.
ASUU was also not left out as the students berated the association, accusing it of failing to meet their national leadership to hear directly from them on the real area of contention.
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