Northern students give FG, ASUU seven-day ultimatum to resolve crisis

The Coalition of Northern Students has issued seven days ultimatum to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Federal Government to resolve the lingering industrial action or risk unsavoury consequences.

The students union, under the Coalition of 19 Northern States Students’ Union, threatened to occupy major roads and make them lecture rooms if both parties fail to reconcile after the expiration of the ultimatum.

Leader of the group, Sadi Garba Sa’id, who spoke with journalists yesterday, in Kano, lamented the impact of the prolonged strike on students, urging government to waive registration fee and extend National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) age limit to enable final year students enrol in the scheme.

He, however, warned of potential consequences inimical to the country’s security architecture if the striking teachers continue to desert the classrooms.

Sadi noted that after two days of an emergency meeting held at the Federal University of Dutse, Jigawa State, the students unanimously agreed to reject any hike in registration or tuition fee.

“Let me quote from the words of late Gen. Sani Abacha who said that ‘any problem facing a nation of which the government is unable to solve within three months, then the government has hands in it. So, the question is that what does the government stand to achieve by doing this damage to our future.

“The coalition has unanimously agreed on the review of the ASUU’s demand. The coalition will not tolerate any form of hike in registration or tuition fee. The NYSC age limit should be revisited owing to the fact that the ASUU strike/COVID-19 may have crippled some students’ chances of participating in the scheme.

“The coalition condemns the alarming rate of rape and kidnapping across the country and therefore urge prompt action from government. We also want to use this medium to demand for a quality education in primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.”