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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Students from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ambrose Alli University, (AAU) Ekpoma, Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, all in Edo State, yesterday, barricaded the ever-busy Ring Road, Benin, to protest the prolong Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.
Addressing newsmen at the rally, the Students Union President, UNIBEN, Foster Amadin, said the strike has made them stayed in their various institutions of learning for more than necessary.
“The truth is, we are not for ASUU neither are we fighting for or against anybody, all we know and all we want is going back to our classes. You know as it stands now, we have been stagnated in our academic, we have been at home for 71 days and nobody is saying anything about it.
“The government is going about their electoral processes while even the ASUU are going about their individual businesses but forgetting that we are the young Nigerians, we are students and we want to graduate,” he said.
Amadin said their parents might not be wealthy enough to send them to school abroad just like some senators and House of Representatives members do but that they were glad that they are peace-loving Nigerians who want to go back to their classes to learn and graduate at the nick of time.
The National Vice President, Special Duty of National Association of Nigerians Students (NASS), Thomas Ikhine, said it was shameful that students were at home due to ASUU strike while those who are to front the cause of the students and ASUU were busy purchasing forms for millions of naira yet they were saying they have no funds to meet the ASUU’s demands.
“The educational sector of this country is faulty. Our leaders have bastardised it. And as it is, Nigerian students are at home and yet they are busy purchasing forms for over a N100 million, an amount some presidents of other countries, constitutionally, cannot even earn throughout their tenure.
“That is an insult to us. Imagine the minister of Education for State coming out boldly to purchase a form of one hundred million whereas he has been quite and voiceless ever since ASUU went on strike.
“Now, we are hearing from him and he is lashing out at ASUU, whereas, all this while, we have not heard from him,” he said.
Ikine stressed that the students will not leave the streets until when the government listen to their cry.
“As it is, we are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari who from all ramifications has failed Nigerians. We are calling on the Federal Government to do the needful. We are here, this is called ‘Unistreet’.
“Few months ago, we admitted new students and today, we are here to start receiving lectures. This is our first day. So, all the courses we are taking here is introductory.
“We are here and we are not leaving here. Today is just the beginning. More of our colleagues who are not here will soon join us as from tomorrow. If they want us to leave the street, they know what to do,” he said.
