NANS protest FG adamant over ASUU demands

Patrick Ekpo, Uyo

Students under the auspices of the National Association of Nigeria Students, University of Uyo chapter, on Friday staged a peaceful demonstration, calling on the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Unions of Universities to resolve their differences so that students can go back to schools.

The protesters, who blocked the Ikpa Road of the Town Campus of the university as early as 9.30 am gave the FG seven days to accede to their request.

They chanted solidarity songs and displayed placards with various descriptions threatening to shut down Aso Rock and the National Assembly if their request is not met to within the stipulated period.

Some inscriptions on the placards read: “We want ASUU strike resolved now; ‘We are tired of staying at home; ‘Our rent is wasting, and ‘We cannot wait anymore.’”

Addressing the students on the road, the zone D, NANS Coordinator and a mass communication student of the university, Mr Etinyene Offongekpe, called for immediate end to the protracted strike by ASUU.

He called on both the federal government and the Academic Staff Unions of Universities to shift grounds and resolve them to enable students return to school.

“We are sending this message to the Federal Government and ASUU. We are tired of staying at home, our rents have expired. We want to return and complete the academic year. We cannot accept this anymore.

“We call on the Federal Government to key into the agreement it signed in 2019 and ASUU to shift grounds. We have come to express to the world that we cannot take this anymore

“We are under instructions from the NANS Secretariat to Shut down Abuja, seven days from now. We are mobilising to move to Abuja, we will shut the National Assembly and the Aso Rock,” he said.

President, Students Union Government of the university, Emmanuel Akpan, called on the President Mohammed Buhari, the National Assembly, Minister of Education, and all relevant authorities to settle grievances with ASUU to save the education sector from collapse.

He said, “The Nigeria students are tired, I’m tired, we are all tired. The final year students have been in final year for two years. It is unacceptable

“We are demonstrating to call on the federal government, the National Assembly, the senators, the minister and all relevant authorities to please settle grievances with ASUU and allow students to return to school.”

It was learnt that while NANS protested FG’s adamant over ASUU demands, which was restricted to Ikpa Road of the university’s town campus, #EndSARS protesters went around major roads and streets in the city.