NANS Talk Tough, Vows To Shut Down Ministries Of Labour, Education Over ASUU Strike

• Accuses Labour Minister of lacking human managerial skills
• Calls for inclusion in the negotiations

EKO HOT BLOG reports that President of the National Association Nigerian Students (NANS), Sunday Asefon, has threatened that the student body will confront the federal government if it continues to stall on fulfilling it promises to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Asefon while speaking in an on interview on 99.3FM radio programme Morning Crossfire with Sheriff Quadry, also berated ASUU, saying its strike action is “uncalled for and totally irrelevant.”

He said ASUU’s 9-month strike and the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown had truncated dreams of many Nigerian students.

Read also: Education Minister Expresses Surprise Over ASUU Strike

“We need to respond to the Federal Government in the language that they understand because I don’t believe that… People have said eduction is the bedrock of any society. But if our government have choose not to give us a better education system in this country, if our government have given less attention to education in this country, look at their lackadaisical attitude towards education in this country. Look at it from the budget every year, education gets almost getting the less budget every year. You see them investing more on security and insecurity is always rampant,” he stated.

Asked to clarify what the body meant by “the language they understand”, the NANS President responded: “the language oppressors understand is confrontation. We are going to confront them. We are going to confront them in a way that is going to shock them.”

Speaking further, he said: “By this time of tomorrow, latest by 12 O’clock tomorrow, there will be a decision from the Nigerian students. So it’s not going to be decision of the President of NANS alone but a decision of the entire students in this country. We are meeting and we are going to take a decision that we think will be very suitable for us and that we don’t just believe that the office of the Minister of Labour cannot be open (operating), the office of the Minister of Education cannot be open (operating) while our school is under lock and key.”

He advised ASUU to employ another method in dealing with the federal government, adding that dialogue is no longer effective because it eventually leads to strike action at the detriment of the students.

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Asefon said Nigerian Students are tired and do not have confidence in either the Federal Government or ASUU.

He also called for a synergy between Nigerian students and ASUU to confront the federal government.

The NANS President, while calling for a seat at the negotiation table between ASUU and the Federal Government, demanded that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu and Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige be removed and replaced with capable hands. He accused the duo of not  being available and lacking human managerial  skills, respectively.

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