The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has knocked and has discouraged the state universities to desist from any notion that could lead to the state institute joining the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU in other ongoing industrial actions.
In order to do this, the leadership of the Nigerian students’ union requested state university instructors to immediately distance themselves from the action and return to work, describing their behavior as ‘unpatriotic and wicked.’
In a statement in this regard issued yesterday, Sunday Asefon, president of NANS, claimed that ASUU had lost the trust of Nigerian students due to their unpatriotic behavior in extending their walkout indefinitely.
Asefon indicated that because the union was acting unfairly, students would no longer back its plea for mediation.
Asefon claimed that because ASUU retains employment at numerous private colleges around the nation, the intention to sustain the industrial action beyond six months was simple for them.
Read Also: ‘We Don’t Need Your Support’ – ASUU President Blasts NANS
ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke quickly responded by claiming that his organization did not request student support prior to going on strike.
Appearing on the ‘Politics Today’ broadcast on Channels Television which was monitored by Africa Daily News, New York, Osodeke stated that the students who were ordered home due to the strike never had backed the labor union’s efforts.
Aggrieved Osodeke said: ‘Any day students and parents take over this struggle, ASUU will not have this problem. Had they supported any of our struggles, apart from going from one office to another? So leave that alone. Go and ask students in the street, not those leaders.”
‘What are we saying? Are our universities good? The public primary and secondary schools are dead but the teachers didn’t fight. As I speak with you, even with what we have now, we still have 99 percent of students in public universities because of our struggle. And students will say ‘we are not supporting you.’ Did we ask for your support when we started this struggle?’
‘One, the government should tell Nigerians and us the money alleged to have been approved for revitalization. How much is it and where is it lodged, and when will it be released?’
‘Two, UTAS, as means of paying salary, have they approved that? Three, have they accepted the agreement we reached with their panel? They should come and tell us this not just going to press.’
The statement from the NANS President portrays that the ASSU was adamant about the plea from parents, students, and the federal government and that their actions were unfair.
