The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has announced that it will organize a nationwide mass protest for the immediate reopening of all universities across the country.
In a communiqué issued on Wednesday in Enugu, after NANS Students’ Leaders Emergency Virtual Meeting held on Monday, November 9, 2020, the students’ leaders lamented the continued strike was an organized crime against students’ career and educational pursuits.
The students’ body, however, issued out a 14-day Ultimatum for both the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to resolve their impasse for the campus to reopen or risk a mass protest action.
NANS, which has tagged the mass protest movement as #EndASUUStrike, warned that the protest will have economic consequences.
The communiqué read in parts: “NANS declares the necessity of minimum of two academic session school fees waiver for Nigerian students in both state and federal institutions in the spirit of COVID-19 palliative to ameliorate the economic effects of the lockdown occasioned by the global pandemic.
“This is to avert mass drop out of students which may increase crime and criminality among youths in Nigeria.”
The Association further added that the government had not set aside meaningful budgetary allocation to the education sector in accordance with the recommendation of UNESCO’s 26 percent educational budgetary allocation.
NANS leadership insists that the educational collapse system in Nigeria can be traced to the incessant strike by the Academic Staff Unions of all Nigeria tertiary institutions.
“Consequently, NANS with no hesitation declares a 14-day Ultimatum for both ASUU and the Federal Government to resolve the impasse to reopen our campuses or risk Mass protest tagged #EndASUUStrike Nationwide.
“While the Government and ASUU have nothing to lose at the end of every strike, salaries, promotions, and other emoluments among others flow uninterrupted.
The body also stated that “Nigerian students are the greatest losers of the strike as their career are delayed, stay in campus extended, house rent/ hostel fee incurred, NYSC age limit exceeded, Federal state job age requirement exceeded among other negative effects and impacts on general life plan of average Nigerian students.
The communiqué was jointly signed by the communiqué drafting committee led by Mr. Salahudeen Lukman as Chairman, from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Mr. Danladi Jonah from Madibo Adama Federal University Yola, Adamawa state.
Recall that on October 15, 2020, members of NANS in Anambra State, crippled commercial activities, as they blocked the Enugu-0nitsha way in Awka.
