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… vow to block Federal Roads

Dayo Johnson Akure.

Youths in the South West region of the country have berated the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan over his position on the lingering crisis between Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration.

They described as faulty the statement credited to Lawan that the 2009 agreement between ASUU and federal government was unrealistic.

The youths under the aegis of Odua Youth Coalition (OYC) at a Press Conference addressed in Akure, the state capital by it’s National President, Tayo Oluyi Akintade, said that the Senator was a member of the National Assembly when the agreement was reached.

Speaking during a press briefing in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the National President of the group, Tayo Oluyi

Akintade, who was flanked by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Gbenga Ajongbolo, accused the federal government of insincerity and turning a blind eye to the plight of Nigerians.

He vowed that the youth would barricade federal roads across South West states if the government refused to yield to the demands of ASUU within seven days.

“I think it is a faulty statement from the President of the Senate. I’m very sure he was a member if the National Assembly when the agreement was signed.

“And if you break down the 2009 agreement, a lot of things were captured in that agreement. It is not even about payment of salary of lecturers. You can’t even compare Nigeria universities with some universities in some African countries.

“What ASUU and Nigerians want is for government to bring universities to the height they ought to be.

“The federal government has shown lackadaisical towards the Nigeria future and we as youths have come out to say emphatically that if the federal government failed to accede to these requests within the next seven days we are not going to leave any stone unturned by moving out en masse and joining forces with other bodies to ensure that we block all federal roads.

“For years, we give them opportunity for reconciliation and dialogue but we have seen that for years these people do not listen.

“I think they understand that when things are turned upside down, they respond and this is the approach we are taking.

“I think Nigerians have been patient enough. Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, they have gone on strike action 16 times and that shows that they must have met with the federal government more than that.

“For 3 long months, Nigerian students have been kept at home and far away from their campuses as a result of a prolonged, unacceptable and insensitive strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over their unending rift with the Nigerian government.

“Just days ago, Nigerian airlines issued a threat to shut down business across the country as result of the unavailability and rising costs of aviation fuel, their request was speedily granted by the FG.

” Since Nigerian roads are a death trap and railroads pathways to the great beyond, air travel is the only means by which the ruling class and the elite comfortably commute.

“They surely know that grounding air travel is as good as stalling the political process.

“This act has further emboldened our belief that Nigerian students mean little or nothing to the ruling class and the FG.

“What has the country done so wrong to deserve such selfish and wicked hearts at the helm? One even begins to wonder if events of October 2020 was a child’s play in the minds of these leaders.

“While we believe ASUU’s demands such as universities revitalization, signing 2009 agreement, paying earned academic allowances etc still stand, the refusal of the FG to accede to these requests has impacted negatively on tertiary education and future of Nigeria.

Akintade said that “Facilities and infrastructures on campuses are deteriorating, with the poor renumerations of university teachers leading to brain drains and resulting in the production of ill- baked graduates.

Vanguard News Nigeria