Another group threatens nationwide protest, gives reason

The Education Right Campaign has urged parents and students to prepare for a nationwide protest over the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

This was contained in a press statement by ERC’s Deputy National Coordinator, Ogunjimi Isaac Ayobami, and ERC National Mobilisation Officer, Michael Lenin, on Tuesday.

The statement was titled, ‘ASUU strike: ERC calls on FG to meet ASUU demands so that the universities can be re-opened… Calls on students and parents to embark on nationwide protests and demonstrations to compel government to fund public education’.

The group accused the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, of making false promises that the strike would end soon.

It read in part, “From our own understanding, the picture painted by the Minister which gives the impression that the federal government has nearly met all of ASUU demands is patently false, deliberately misleading and mischievous.

“We want to put on record that it is this kind of distasteful approach to negotiation based on lies, subterfuge, and appeal to base sentiment which has built up decades of mistrust and suspicion between unions and the Federal Government.

“We, therefore, urge Nigerian students and parents not to allow themselves to be fooled by the Minister of Labour. Rather, students should begin earnest preparation for peaceful nationwide protests and demonstrations to compel the Federal government to meet the demands of ASUU, SSANU, NASU, and NAAT so that the Universities can be reopened for academic activities to commence.

“Nigerian students have suffered too much already but the antics of the Federal government shows the Buhari APC capitalist regime does not care. Hence the need for mass protests and demonstrations to kick off nationwide to send a note of warning to the Federal Government that students can no more tolerate the delay and closure.”