NANS threatens to ground airports over ASUU strike
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to halt activities at the local and international airports across Nigeria starting from Monday, September 18 to protest the incessant strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
NANS said its decision to obstruct airports activities was as a result of the achievements recorded in its road protest during which various highways were barricaded.
According to the leadership of NANS, which spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said the grounding of airports was to make the wealthy share in the sufferings of the students posed by the elongated strike action.
According to the Chairman, NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Comrade Ojo Raymond Olumide, students were weary of begging both parties to call off the strike.
Olumide warned ASUU not to call off the strike after any increment in their salary but to pursue other demands that resulted in the strike action.
He said: “We shall begin another round of protest next week by storming the airspaces on Monday, 19th September 2022 to #OccupyTheAirports. We want to let the world know about the pains and anguish students are going through.
“Nigerian students whose parents create the commonwealth cannot continue to be suffering at home alongside our lecturers while the few who gain from our sweats and blood have their kids abroad.
“We call on students to rise and join us as we take our destinies into our hands. Our demands remain consistently clear and simple. We call on ASUU leadership for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss solidarity actions and plan for the next phase of the struggles.”
He added that the students’ body need not notify the police about the scheduled protest to ground airports because they were not subjected to security agencies.
“Grounding the airport is for us to get solidarity and we will keep on grounding the local and international airports and they know the effect of us grounding the airport.
“The only thing we request for them is to open our campuses back. We Call on the Buhari government to pay all outstanding arrears and salaries of the lecturers. The policy of “No Work No Pay” is a fascist one. It is, therefore condemnable and nonacceptable to all the millions of students in Nigeria.
“We will, by this statement, not beg again. We shall be mobilizing all students to shut down the country. No Education! No Movement,” he added.
