Lagos
Protesting Nigerian Students under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS are currently staging a protest at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State, in line with their vow to ground the nation’s airports, by Monday, today, if the Federal Government refuses to aceed to the demands of the striking lectures, to enable them call off the strike.
It said its decision to ground airports activities was due to the successes recorded in its road protest during which several highways were blocked.
The leadership of NANS, which spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, last week, said the grounding of airports was to make the rich share in the pains of the students occasioned by the prolonged strike action.
Chairman, NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Ojo Raymond Olumide, said students were tired of pleading with both parties to end the strike.
Olumide cautioned ASUU not to call off the strike after any increment in their salary but to insist on other demands that led to the strike action.
According to him, “We shall begin another round of protest next week by storming the airspaces on Monday, 19th September 2022 to #OccupyTheAirports. We want to let the world know about the pains and anguish students are going through.
“Nigerian students whose parents created the commonwealth cannot continue to be suffering at home alongside our lecturers while the few who gain from our sweat and blood have their kids abroad.
“We call on students to rise and join us as we take our destinies into our hands. Our demands remain consistently clear and simple. We call on ASUU leadership for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss solidarity actions and plan for the next phase of the struggles.”
Olumide stresses that the students’ body does not need to inform the police about the planned protest to ground airports because they were not answerable to the security agencies. Moreover, peaceful protests was within their civic rights as citizens.
