Council of Students Union Presidents has said that its members will be storming the Federal Capital Territory for a peaceful protest if the ongoing Strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities is not called off.
The organisation, which comprises all Students Union Presidents across Federal Universities in Nigeria, had in a letter to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, dated 19th July, 2022, given the Federal Government seven days ultimatum to resolve the disagreement with ASUU.
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In an interview with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, the CSUP Convener, Shuaib Yahaya, said all the Students leaders have resolved not to compromise on the decision to embark on the planned protest.
According to him, the ongoing strike action has adversely affected students in the country, stressing that some now engage in illegal activities.
He said, “If the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities do not reach to resolve, after the seven days, we are going to carry out a mass action that will involve all SUG presidents in Nigeria and we will be converging at Abuja and we continue to demonstrate peacefully until the Strike is called off.
“Over time, whenever we delegate certain persons for the interest of others, they compromise. So we are not working with any delegation as we are concerned.
“This time around nobody is ready to come and compromise. We are ready to face the sacrifice and challenge.
He further said, “There is a statement that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop, so many of our students have adopted the act of illegal activities because they are at home doing nothing. The strike has succeeded at increasing the level of internet fraud.
“But if the school was in session and students were engaged with academic activities, there would be no such thought of getting involved in internet fraud.
“Personally, I am supposed to have graduated by now which would have been done a month ago. But here I am, I am still waiting on ASUU to call off strike before we can go back. The strike can also reduce the level of interest for education.
“If a student sits at home doing nothing, he or she begins to think otherwise and if this otherwise starts working then you should be sure that the interest of such a person will definitely be reduced.
“What we are after as students is that the federal government and ASUU should just reach a resolution. In every negotiation table, there is always a space that the both parties will have to have a compromise on a particular aspect of that negotiation.
“We don’t know what they have to do but our concern is that they must resolve the issues and end the strike within seven days.” He added.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had on Tuesday directed theMinister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu to resolve the prolonged strike embarked upon by the four university-based unions and report back to him in two weeks time which elapses on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.
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