As the country celebrate its 53rd years independence anniversary today, all commercial activities were put to a halt for over three hours in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, as students protested against continued strike by university teachers.
The National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS)Zone D(Southwest) barricaded major roads and disrupted activities in some parts of the Oyo State capital. The protest which started around 9:30am, began from Agbowo, Mokola round-about,Total Garden, Agodi-Gate and ended it at the Iwo-Round about inter-change. The students numbering over 1000 from the Southwest states were protesting against underfunding and crises in the education sector, especially the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.
The aggrieved students, rendering anti-government slogans, accused the Federal Government of insensitivity and demanded a proper funding of the education sector. The protest was supervised by Divisional Police Officer's from different divisions with their hillux truck to ensure that hoodlums did not hijack it. The protest was Led by NANS Southwest Coordinator, Monsuru Adeyemo aka (Socrates), the students in a communique read by him during the protest, said there was urgent need to save Nigeria's education sector from total collapse from claws of capitalist ruling elites Adeyemo said:
"As a result of poor government funding, inspite of stupendous wealth of the country, Nigeria's public education, from primary to tertiary levels is
bedeviled with lack of adequate facilities for proper teaching, learning and
research. Hostel facilities in the few schools where they still exist are
dilapidated and insufficient, that is why over 10 million children are out of school in Nigeria.
"Only just this year, about 1.7 million candidates sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and from the available space in all the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the country only less than 29 per cent of the total candidates will be admitted, thus leaving out over 1.2 million candidates," he said.
While urging ASUU to take their struggle to next level with a nationwide mass
action, the union leader noted that what the university teachers are demanding is for the improvement of the education sector, and with such they cannot be indifferent with the content of the agreement just because their fears about the academic calender.
"We have to actively join the struggle to force the government to implement the agreement with all unions so that tertiary institutions can be reopened. if this agreement is fully implemented, it will mean better funding of education and a great relief to overburdened students," he added.
On their demands from the Federal Government, the Southwest NANS Coordinator listed them as:" Honouring the agreements signed with all the staff unions, Proper funding of Compulsory, free and quality education at all levels from primary to tertiary level, reinstatement of all politically victimised student leaders, rejection of any form of harassment, intimidation or humiliation of Nigerian Students by Government,School Management or staff.
"Outright rejection of Suswan Committee, no to police attacks and killings of
students, proper payment of SIWESS allowances for all universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and Colleges of Education Vocational and Technical Students," he added.
