A faction of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) led by Kadiri Aruna, yesterday gave the federal government two weeks to resolve the ongoing crisis with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The students, at a protest in Abuja, submitted a letter signed by it National President, Comrade Kadiri Aruna, to President Muhammadu Buhari through the Ministers of Education, Labour and Employment and called for immediate resolution of the lingering industrial action.
Kadiri also said the students’ body has rejected the new 120 cut-off mark by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), saying it was an attempt to destroy the education sector.
Kadiri said the students’ body “will mobilise its members for a nationwide protest that will no longer be peaceful if after the expiration of its ultimatum, students are not back in school”.
Earlier, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Sonny Echono, who received the protesting students, appealed to themto exercise patience, assuring that the federal government and ASUU were working towards an expeditious resolution.
“On behalf of the minister of education and the minister of labour and employment, who as I speak are held up in a meeting trying to ensure that students should be in their classrooms.
“It is for that reason they requested that I, permanent secretary of the federal ministry of education, should appeal to this body and to assure you that everything will be done. We would not even wait for your two weeks ultimatum. We will ensure we bring this matter to an expeditious end.
“Part of the reasons it is taking this long, is the same issue you raised earlier, we do not want this culture of every six months, every one year, academic programmes are disrupted and we want to find a final and lasting solution to this problem”, Echono said.
