– Issues ultimatum to parties – Passes vote of no-confidence.
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has passed a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, and their ability to continue to lead the government’s negotiation team with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
NANS said that Ngige and Adamu who, by virtue of offices they occupy, are deeply involved in talks with university lecturers under the umbrella of ASUU on issues of the prolonged strike, are either incompetent to engage productively with ASUU at the highest level or lack the goodwill and trust to build consensus and find an amicable resolution.
The student body solicited the intervention of traditional and religious institutions to prevail on the Federal Government and ASUU to reopen universities while they continue their negotiation.
In addition to that, it asked passed Presidents of NANS, notably, Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu; Senators Smart Adeyemi, Barau Jibrin, Opeyemi Bamidele, Ishaku Abbo, and several others, who are in different political offices to intervene to avoid breakdown of law and order, and other unfriendly mass actions.
NANS President, Sunday Asefon, in a statement released at the end of their National Executive Council Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, on Tuesday, disclosed that an ultimatum has been issued to Federal Government and ASUU, to resolve contentious issues on the agreements that would herald immediate reopening of university campuses, or they would risk massive unfriendly actions against both parties.
He asked both parties to reach a compromise on or before Monday, March 28, and also asked the National Assembly to do everything possible within the period to end the strike to avoid possible breakdown of law and order by the students.
He threatened that if the strike continue after the expiration of the ultimatum, students across the country would move to the streets. “We would resume at the new University created by the Federal Government and ASUU called ‘The University of the Street’, with Main Campus on the Airport Road, Abuja; Annex Campuses in all the major roads in Abuja and Distance Learning Centres in all the Federal Roads across the 36 State of the Federation.
“Besides, students have been directed to bring along their mattresses and cooking utensils while resuming in their new campus in Abuja and all the designated campuses across the country. There won’t be any going back this time.”
Meanwhile, NANS said it’s appalled by the continued insincerity on the part of ASUU leadership in meeting its national leadership to hear directly from them as fathers on the real area of contention.
“We have met with Federal Government representatives and have heard directly from them, but all efforts to meet ASUU is being consciously frustrated by its leadership.
“We are aware that revitalisation of our universities is not the main issue of contention between ASUU and Federal Government but issue concerning payment platform and renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.
“We have tried our possible best not to direct our rage towards ASUU but Federal Government. However, ASUU is leaving us with no option but to include them on the list of our enemies, and we will serve ASUU on the same plate with Federal Government.
“Since they won’t talk to us as their closest children in this struggle, we will assume they don’t have our interest at heart and we will treat them as enemies. If we are part of the beneficiary of this fight, they would not have a problem explaining to us why our gain will be bigger than our loss if the fight continues.”
