ASUU Strike: Students Block Ife-Ibadan Road, ASUU Lists Pending Demands

Students protesting the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, on Thursday, blocked the Ife-Ibadan road.

While the action lasted, motorists and commuters were stranded for hours.

The students gathered on the platform of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Zone ‘D’ South West.

The group’s zonal coordinator, Olatunji Adegboye, during the protest in Gbongan, called for a law that will prohibit children of politicians from schooling abroad.

Adegboye said such a law would make the operation of public universities more efficient.

He also demanded proper funding of education while passing a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

He said, “We are on the road because of the ongoing ASUU strike that started on February 14, it is seven months already. We are tired of staying at home, we want to resume.

“We are demanding proper funding of education sector. We are passing a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Education, (Adamu Adamu) because I believe he is not competent.

“We want the legislative arm to pass a bill that will make it impossible for children of politicians to travel outside the country to study. They should be here and study with us in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the ASUU  President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the union is ready to suspend its ongoing strike if the Federal Government shows willingness to accept its “minimum” demands.

Osodeke spoke on Thursday during a town hall meeting on tertiary education tagged, ‘The Locked Gates of our Citadels – A National Emergency’ in Abuja.

He said the recent Federal Government’s decision to drag the union before the National Industrial Court would worsen the situation, adding that the union is ready to engage with the government to end the strike.

He said, “On all these issues, we have given the government a minimum that we can accept, but they have not responded.

“We negotiated and agreed that they should sign. This is very simple and it will not take more than one day.

“On University Transparency and Accountability Solution; and Integrated Personnel and Payroll System, we say ‘release the report of the test you did, let’s look at the one who came first and take it as we agreed.”

“So, we have given them the minimum we want and we have to come down and they can do it in one day if there is a will.

“If the government loves this country, these children and their parents, then they should come to the table and let us resolve these issues in one day.”