The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) under the leadership of Sunday Asefon has threatened to shut down all private Universities in the Country.
They said the action will be taken if the 9-month-long strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is not called off.
The newly elected 43-year-old NANS president said this in an interview with Punch Online on Wednesday.
He said that the ongoing strike will go down in history as the longest by the union members of tertiary institutions.
Asefon added that NANS leadership would engage the leadership of ASUU and relevant Federal Government representatives to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
According to him, if after meeting with the two bodies and the strike still continues, NANS will have no other option than to shut down every tertiary institution in the country, including private ones.
According to the NANS President, “In the History of ASUU strike, this is the longest ASUU strike so far, going to 9 months now. My administration frowns at it.
“We will be meeting with the representatives of the Federal Government and that of ASUU to see how the two can shift grounds so that our students can go back to the classroom. It is just a story of where two elephants fight, the grass suffers.
“If they fail to resolve the issue, we are going to embark on …’confrontation.’
“We are going to shut down all private universities in this country. And after that, we are going to engage in mass action.
“It is because the majority of the children of ASUU (members) and the rich are in private schools and they are not affected, that is why they are toying with the lives of the common Nigerian Students,” Asefon said.
Reactions:
Sydney GODWIN@SydneyOfficia·Replying to @SaharaReportersNANS Would Had Been Taken Seriously Only If It Threatened To Not Allow Children Of Elites With Corrupt Funding, Not Travel Abroad For Education! The Gov’t Has Proven Once Again To Be A Colossal DISASTER!
Sheddy 2193@2193Sheddy·Don’t you know the move gonna be a diplomatic one,Asuu Children are in private school and federal government children are there as well, the move gotta be productive cz there Own wards would be affected as well.”
Dikeocha@Dikeocha1·Replying to @SaharaReportersIf NANS is serious, then they aught to compel National Assembly to legislate as matter of urgency that Children of Serving Ministers & other Government functionaries MUST (without exception) get their Education here in Nigerian only.