Students from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ambrose Alli University, (AAU) Ekpoma, Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, all in Edo State, yesterday, barricaded the ever busy Ring Road, Benin City, to protest the prolong Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.
Addressing newsmen at the rally, the Students Union President, University of Benin (UNIBEN), Comrade Foster Amadin, said the ASUU strike has made them stayed in their various institutions of learning more than necessary.
“The truth is, we are not for ASUU neither are we fighting for or against anybody, all we know and all we want is going back to our classes.
“You know as it stands now, we have been stagnated in our academic, we have been at home for 71 days and nobody is saying anything about it.
“The government is going about their electoral processes while even the ASUU are going about their individual businesses but forgetting that we are the young Nigerians, we are students and we want to graduate”, he said.
Amadin said their parents might not be wealthy enough to have sent them to school abroad just like some senators and house of representatives members do but that they are glad that they are peace-loving Nigerians who want to go back to their classes respectively to learn and graduate at the nick of time.
Speaking also, the National Vice President, Special Duty of National Association of Nigerians Students (NASS), Comrade Thomas Ikine, said it is shameful that students are at home due to ASUU strike while those who are to front the cause of the students and the ASUU are busy purchasing forms for millions of naira yet they are saying they have no funds to meet the ASUU’s demands.
“The educational sector of this country is faulty. Our leaders have bastardized it. And as it is, Nigerian students are at home and yet they are busy purchasing forms for over a hundred million naira to an amount that a president of other countries constitutionally cannot even earn throughout his own tenure.
“That is an insult to us. Imagine the Minister of Education for State coming out boldly to purchase a form of one hundred million whereas he has been quite and voiceless ever since ASUU went on strike.
“Now, we are hearing from him and he is lashing out at ASUU whereas all this while we have not heard from him”, he said.
Ikine stressed that the students will not leave the streets until when the government listen to their cry.
“So as it is, we are calling on Muhammadu Buhari who from all ramifications has failed Nigerians.
“So we are calling on the federal government to do the needful. We are here, this is called “Unistreet”.
“Few months ago we admitted new students and today, we are here to start receiving lectures.
“This is our first day. So all the courses we are taking here is introductory.
“And as it is, we are here and we are not leaving here. Today is just the beginning.
“More of our colleagues who are not here will be here to join us as from tomorrow. If they want us to leave the street, they know what to do”, he added.
