NAUS vows to disrupt party primaries, 2023 elections if ASUU strike persists

The National Association of University Students (NAUS), yesterday, stormed Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, protesting the unending strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The students, who decried the strike, said they were tired of staying at home. They vowed that there would not be party primaries and 2023 elections if the Federal Government refuses to accede to the demands of the lecturers.

The students, who carried placards with various inscriptions, such as, “No school resumption, no primaries, no 2023 polls,” Put an end to ASUU strike,” “Should students be at peace when we are experiencing unrest” and “#EndASUU strike now permanently,” among others, lamented that courses that were supposed to be four or five years have been extended to unpredictable years.

Oyo State Chairman of NAUS, Ridwan Shittu, who spoke with The Guardian, said the Federal Government must do the needful to ensure that education comes back alive and lecturers return to the classrooms.

He maintained that Nigerian students could no longer continue with the strike. He said: “We are here to register our grievances over the protracted ASUU strike. We want to show that we are not satisfied with what is going on in our schools. We have been at home for months. Some have turned to crimes because of this unending strike.

“They must accede to the demands of ASUU.

“Nothing is bad if University of Ibadan lecturers are earning what Oxford University lecturers earn. Nothing is wrong if University of Lagos lecturers earn as good as their counterparts in Ivy League universities.

“The Federal Government must do the needful to ensure that education comes back alive.”