ASUU/ASUP strikes: Gridlock as protesting students storm Lagos roads

BY LAJU ARENYEKA
LAGOS — No fewer than 500 students ofpolytechnics, universities, and
even secondary school leavers, yesterday, protested on the streets of
Lagos under the aegis of the Concerned Citizens Against Education
Commercialization, COSATEC.
The protest was to register their displeasure at the Federal
Government's lackadaisical attitude towards ending the incessant
strikes in the education sector.
protest: Polytechnic students protesting against ongoing nationwide
strike, on Ikorodu Road, Lagos, yesterday.
The placard-carrying students barricaded Ikorodu Road at Onipanu area
bemoaning their fate as they have been compelled to, yet again, sit at
home due to the strike embarked upon by the lecturers.
The protest, however, brought traffic on the ever busy road to a halt
as the students danced and played football on the highway.
Comrade Owolade Oluwasijibomi, the Student Union President, Federal
Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, toldVanguard:"We just want to tell the Federal
Government that enough is enough. We are tired of them playing with
our future. We kept quiet about this for a while because we considered
the fact that apart from the Federal Ministry of Education, there are
other sectors involved.
However, over 70 days have passed and the situation has not changed.
They have taken our gentility for stupidity. And we want to let them
know that until they meet the demands of our lecturers, we will
continue to constitute a nuisance."
Chairman of COSATEC, Comrade Usman Oloyede, on his part said: "We are
hereto throw our weight behind the striking unions in the education
sector,and advocate proper funding of the sector, democratic control
as well as a conducive learning environment for Nigerian students.
"More protests should be expected. It is going to be a protracted
struggle because those involved are ideologically mature. We are even
calling on unemployed youths to join us. I do not mince words when I
say almost everyone in this country is a victim of this our corrupt
political system.
The only people who are exempted are the children of these our
leaders. Anytime we complain, they keep on giving us seven point
agenda as if we are fools."
Chairman of the Education Rights Campaign, ERC, who joined forces with
COSATEC said: "It is another movement by students to insist that the
government act speedily and end these strikes. The polytechnic
studentshave been at home since April 29.
A few weeks ago, we heard that the Senate had intervened and that we
should expect good news by today. But the situation is still the
same."
NANS angry at lecturers' strikes
The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, also yesterday
appealed to the Federal Government, university lecturers and
polytechnic teachers to resolve their face-off for the sake of
students.
President of NANS, Mr Yinka Gbadebo, told the News Agency of Nigeria
on telephone that students had continued to be victims of conflicts
between lecturers and governments.
University teachers under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union
ofUniversities, ASUU, embarked on an infinite strike on July 1 to
protest non implementation of a part of an agreement it had with the
Federal Government in 2009.
The agreement includes adequate funding of universities and university autonomy.
Also, lecturers in polytechnics, under the aegis of the Academic Staff
Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, have been on strike for months, also over
Federal Government's non implementation of an agreement.
Gbadebo said NANS members were angry at the lingering face-off which
crippled academic activities in universities and polytechnics.
He said the union was not in support ofASUU, ASUP or the Federal
Government,and wanted an end to the strikes which, he said, made the
students idle,adding that the students were suffering unjustly.
He said: "Students were not part of theplans for the strikes. We were
not consulted before the action. The strikes are causing setbacks for
students who must have planned theirfuture. We cannot condone this
anymore. We shall no longer accept strikes, as we are always at the
receiving end."