The road leading to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos as the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South West zone, embarked on a protest against the ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
The effort made by the security operatives to block the students from gaining access to the airport was fruitless as they took over the road, preventing traffic flow both inward and outward from the facility.
NATIONAL PANEL learnt that the protesters were led by NANS National Taskforce Chairman, Olumide Ojo; Vice President, External Affairs, Akinteye Babatunde; Public Relations Officer, Giwa Yisa Temitope; Zone D Coordinator, Adegboye Emmanuel Olatunji; Deputy Senate President, Ekundina Elvis; Ondo JCC Chairman, Omotosho Surprise; Lagos JCC Chairman, Olusesi Tolulope Samson; Ogun JCC Chairman, Kehinde Damilola Simeon and Oyo JCC Chairman, Adeleke Quadri Abidemi.
The students petitioned an immediate end to the ASUU strike which has entered its seventh month, urging the Nigerian government to meet the demands of the striking lecturers to enable them to return to class.
The students were seen singing and dancing on the road, generating logjams on the busy road.
In an attempt to forestall the protest, the students were earlier intimidated by armed police officers but could not work out, NATIONAL PANEL also gathered.
“We have taken over the road already despite the rainfall, they mobilised lots of security operatives to tame us but nothing shall shake us until our students resume back to class,” NANS Zone D coordinator, Adegboye said.
Recall NANS had earlier said it will ground activities at the local and international airports across the country beginning from Monday, September 18 over the lingering strike.
It said its decision to ground airports activities was due to the successes recorded in its road protest during which several highways were blocked.
The leadership of NANS, which spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said the grounding of airports was to make the rich share in the pains of the students occasioned by the prolonged strike action.
Chairman, NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Ojo Raymond Olumide, said students were tired of pleading with both parties to end the strike.
Olumide cautioned ASUU not to call off the strike after any increment in their salary but to insist on other demands that led to the strike action.According to him, “We shall begin another round of protest next week by storming the airspaces on Monday, 19th September 2022 to #OccupyTheAirports. We want to let the world know about the pains and anguish students are going through.
“Nigerian students whose parents created the commonwealth cannot continue to be suffering at home alongside our lecturers while the few who gain from our sweat and blood have their kids abroad.
“We call on students to rise and join us as we take our destinies into our hands. Our demands remain consistently clear and simple. We call on ASUU leadership for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss solidarity actions and plan for the next phase of the struggles.”
He explained the students’ body need not inform the police about the planned protest to ground airports because they were not subjected to security agencies.
