Ime Akpan
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Monday made good its threat of blocking access roads leading to the local and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos causing intending local and international travellers to miss their early morning flights.
The students are protesting against the seven-old-month strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since February 14, 2022.
The aggrieved students were led by NANS national task force chairman, Olumide Ojo; vice president, external affairs, Akinteye Babatunde; public relations officer, Giwa Yisa Temitope; Zone D coordinator, Adegboye Emmanuel Olatunji; deputy senate president, Ekundina Elvis; Ondo JCC chairman, Omotosho Surprise; Lagos JCC chairman, Olusesi Tolulope Samson; Ogun JCC Chairman, Kehinde Damilola Simeon and Oyo JCC Chairman, Adeleke Quadri Abidemi.
The protesters displayed placards bearing various inscriptions such as: ‘No nation can develop without genuine commitment to education,’ ‘If you have money for election form, you can fund education,’ ‘No work, no pay is a fascist talk,’ ‘Pay our lecturers,’ and “No education, no movement,’ among others.
They defied the downpour and caused traffic around the airport amid the presence of a combined team of officers of the Lagos State Police Command, Rapid Response Squad, Lagos Airport Police Command, and other security agencies.
They congregated at Nahco/access gate to hajj camp terminal where they began the days’ event with praise and worship songs, singing popular tunes like ‘Good morning Jesus.’
Thereafter, they launched into solidarity songs like ‘Who go tire? I no go tire,’ ‘End ASU strike,’ and danced ecstatically to the rhythm of clinking sounds from metals and bottles.
They used their vehicles to barricade the main road linking the airport to Ikeja and Apapa-Osodi areas of the state.
Operatives from the Lagos State police command, RRS operatives, Airport police command, and other security agencies were on the ground to control the situation from degenerating.
NANS leadership said the grounding of airport activities was meant to make the rich also share in the pains of the students occasioned by the prolonged strike action.
Olumide said students were tired of pleading with both parties to end the strike.
He enjoined ASUU not to call off the strike after any increment in their salary but to insist on other demands that led to the strike action.
“Nigerian students whose parents created the commonwealth cannot continue to be suffering at home alongside our lecturers while the few who gain from our sweat 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 said.
Recall that NANS, southwest zone had last Thursday, September 15, blocked the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Ibadan-Ife Road causing untold hardship to motorists and other road users on that axis.
