Hundreds of students yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State, protested the non-resolution of the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The students, under the aegis of the Coalition of Students of Universities of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo, urged the Federal Government to accede to the demands of the striking university workers in the interest of peace.
Roads leading to the University of Ibadan were temporarily closed by the aggrieved students.
They berated the Federal Government for allegedly releasing unbudgeted funds for militants in the Niger Delta, while it refused to negotiate with the university workers who they described as the nation’s brain-box.
Singing anti-government slogans and carrying various placards with inscriptions, such as "Three months of no lecture: we elected selfish leaders; ‘‘Our government can negotiate with militants but cannot negotiate with ASUU, it’s that pathetic and ‘’Seven Point Agenda cannot work with a crumbling education system, fund education now.’’
Speaking with reporters, the students’ leader, Timi Olagunju (a.k.a Collosus), slammed the National Assembly for going on recess when the education system is in comatose.
He called for mass action against the members of the National Assembly for failing the nation at a critical period.
The students, who called for the declaration of a state of emergency in education, sought a quick resolution of the ASUU-government impasse through adequate funding of education.
They said if nothing was done to resolve the impasse before next week, they would mobilise against the Federal Government.
Also, the local chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) shelved its proposed strike which was expected to begin yesterday.
Teachers were to embark on the action to protest the non-implementation of the Teachers Salary Scale (TSS) by the state government.
As at last month, 19 of the 36 states are yet to implement the 27.5 per cent salary increase.
The National Secretariat of the NUT had given an ultimatum to all defaulting state governments to pay the TSS on or before the end of last month or the union may resume the suspended strike as from yesterday.
The 17 states that have begun implementing the TSS are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Nasarawa, Gombe, Jigawa and Ekiti.
Others are: Borno, Cross River, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, Ondo,Zamfara and Kwara, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
But the Oyo NUT shelved the strike from following a letter it received from state government that it should give it more time.
NUT Secretary Olu Abiala said the government wrote the union, asking to be given more time to begin the implementation of the TSS.
The government, Abiala said, pleaded with the teachers that as soon as it is buoyant, it would pay.
Abiala said the letter has been sent to the National Secretariat "and we are awaiting their response", adding that its decision would determine the next line of action
