Strike: NANS Threatens Nationwide Protest From March 28

The PUNCH reports that the National Association of Nigerian Students has given the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities till March 28 to resolve their differences and ensure that the union’s ongoing strike is called off.

NANS’ position was contained in a statement on Wednesday by its President, Sunday Ashefon.

Ashefon threatened that Nigerian students would take to the streets at the expiration of the ultimatum if the strike continues.

The statement read, “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.”

NANS also passed a vote of no confidence in the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; and his counterpart in the Ministry of Education, Adamu Adamu, to 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.

The students also took a swipe at the leadership of ASUU who they accused of failing to meet their national leadership to hear directly from them on the real area of contention.