Following the ASUU-Federal Government faceoff, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has sent a strong warning to the two major political parties, the APC and the PDP to forget holding their presidential conventions in Abuja later this month.
The student body expressed disgust over what they called the abandonment of negotiations with ASUU by the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige and the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, for presidential ambition.
The duo has purchased APC Nomination and Expression of lnterest forms at a whopping cost of N100 million.
“We have also in the past weeks seen those saddled with great responsibility in the education sector and those saddled with responsibilities of resolving labour crises declaring interest to contest for the seat of the President come 2023.
“We are surprised by their effrontery and total disrespect to the Nigerian people for having the courage to even mute the idea of contesting talkless of picking up the 100 million naira presidential form while students languish at home because of their collective failures,” the students said in a statement by NANS President, Sunday Asefon, made available to Persecondnews on Sunday.
On March 14, ASUU had at the expiration of its four-week warning strike which it declared on Monday, February 14, 2022 extended the action by another two months.
The union led by Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke said they arrived at the decision to extend the strike to give the Federal Government and its agencies enough time to meet the demands of the union.
Persecondnews recalls that ASUU had embarked on a nine-month strike in 2020 before it was called off in December 2022.
ASUU’s warning came on the heels of plans by PDP and APC to stage their presidential conventions from May 28 to 30 at the Federal Capital Territory.
However, NANS has warned the political parties to either end the ASUU strike now or forget about holding any presidential primary in the nation’s capital.
The statement titled, “End ASUU Strike Or Forget Political Activities In Abuja’’, also said:“Politicians have shown no concern to the plight of the students but are only busy in their selfish and inordinate ambitions to become the next President.
“Let me say without mincing words, the two major political parties should forget any political gathering in Abuja who elsewhere except there is a solution to the lingering ASUU strike.
“We will frustrate all the activities leading to the selection of party candidates if we remain on strike.”
Insisting that they are prepared to dare security operatives that may be deployed at the venues, the apex student body said:”We also want to advise the government and the politicians who are busy campaigning to be President to either resolve the ASUU crises or give direct orders to the security operatives to shoot us at the site during party conventions to select a presidential candidate.
“If we remain on strike, they should just forget it.”
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