Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Students in Ogun state, on Wednesday, protested against the three months extension of the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) blocking the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway from the Obada end of the busy road.
The students, under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun state Joint Campus Committee, stormed the Obada axis of the highway with placards chanting anti-government songs.
The protest left, many motorists stranded as travellers were trapped.
Some of the inscriptions on their placards reads: “End ASUU Strike now,” “Enough is Enoug,” “Nigerian Students are suffering,” and “FG listen to ASUU.”
Speaking on behalf of the students, the NANS Chairman in Ogun state, Comrade Kehinde, Damilola Simeon, warned that, the extension of the strike would worsen the insecurity of the country.
Kehinde said, the Federal government and members of ASUU must agree and reach a comprise to end the strike before students take to anarchy.
In his words, “It is so unfortunate that the Federal government is playing politics with the lives of Nigerian students. We have been clamouring from time past ever since the commencement of this ASUU strike that something should be done with immediate effect, but it is obvious that both the Federal Government and ASUU have decided to turn deaf ears to our agitations.
“It is so evident that none of the children of these politicians, government officials and by extension, ASUU are here in Nigeria schooling because if they have children as students who are being affected, the way it affects every other Nigerian, they would have resolved this issue a long time ago when it started.
“And it is obvious that ASUU, on the other hand, is not genuine with their struggle because they have to know that Nigerian students will always be at the receiving end at the end of the day. We have come out in solidarity with ASUU on many occasions since the commencement of this strike and we expect them to be considerate.
“Our students are suffering, our students are fed up. This whole issue is getting out of hand and before it gets to a point of students and youths taking to anarchy they should find a lasting solution to this issue, enough is enough.
“Our students are going to end up engaging themselves in criminal activities as we all know that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop.
“Since our students are not in school, a lot of them will have no choice than to start engaging in criminal activities, ranging from prostitution, to internet fraud and others.
“We want the Federal Government to know that they are about to unleash the beast in us because when you fail to do the needful, they should remember the case of Somalia, they should remember the case of Riwanda, the should remember Liberia before it gets to a point whereby we start hunting these politicians and ASUU, they should please do the needful and call off the strike. The Federal government should listen and ASUU on the other hand should try to be reasonable so that our students can return to classrooms.”