Nigeria: NANS threatens to lock down all Federal roads

Chinonso Obasi

By Igboamalu Chimezie Nelson

Bothered by  the industrial action rocking the education sector, leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has vowed to shut down all major federal express roads next week if no resumption date is fixed.
The students union came up with the decision after an emergency meeting held in the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.

They decried that the Federal Government allowed the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, to ground academic and non academic activities in Nigerian institutions. Communicating the outcome of their meeting with Vanguard, NANS Senate President, Comrade Taiwo Bamigbade said, “The Senate meeting was well attended by the Student Union Presidents from various tertiary institutions across the six geo political zones of the federation, NANS National Executive Council members, stakeholders and concerned Nigerian students. NANS Senate condemns in totality the lack of sincerity of the Federal Government to the 2009 agreement it entered with all the academic staff unions.

According to him, the inactiveness of the Federal Ministry of Education to engage the staff unions in a meaningful negotiation to avert the ongoing nationwide strike by ASUU, NASU, SSANU and NAAT calls for concern on the integrity and standard of education. He implored the unions to look beyond the strike action and possibly seek justice from the court, as their only negotiation tools to press home their legitimate demands from the Federal Government to save the integrity and standard of education in Nigeria. He said: “NANS is calling on the Federal Government to expedite action to bring back the striking lecturers/staff to work or consider total shut down of all major federal express roads by Nigerian students if no resumption date is fixed in the next one week.”

Union passes vote of confidence on its president Meantime, the NANS Senate has passed vote of confidence on her national president, Comrade Chinonso Obasi, GCNS, for his tireless efforts to reposition NANS better as well as his giant strides to have re-invigorated NANS back to the Committee of Continental Students Union Bodies under All Africa Students Union, AASU, with his adequate representation in just concluded AASU Summit in Ghana, where he won an award as the most outstanding student leader in Africa. The statement said,”The Senate, as a matter of urgency, implore Federal Ministry of Health and Niger State Government to come to the aid of its former NANS president Comrade Mohammed Dauda Kapon, who needs a Liver Transplant in India Hospital.”