Greatest Nigerian students, it is imperative that I convey the hope of full academic resumption in all our university campuses across the country following the latest agreements reached between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
I must commend the commitment of the FG and the considerations of ASUU which has yielded to the hopeful resumption expected after ASUU’s reach out to her various chapters on Friday the 27th November 2020.
Nigerians will recall that the NANS leadership under my watch declared a nationwide protest scheduled to commence on Tuesday the 24th of November, 2020 following the expiration of the 14 days ultimatum issued to both parties with other demands over the lingering 8months ASUU strike.
Our demands included:
1. The immediate termination of the ASUU strike and the re-opening of our campuses.
2. Two sessions’ school fees waiver for Nigerian students to ameliorate covid-19 economic impact on Nigerian students to avert massive drop out of students in line with most institutions NO SCHOOL FEE NO EXAM POLICY.
3. NYSC age limit reduction for 2018/2019 final year students and
4. Reversal of the new price of PMS amongst others.
We appreciate the FG’s decision to shift grounds on numerous issues which has led to ASUU’s considerations to suspend strike, most critically the FG’s decision to pay salary arrears with the old payment method and the subsequent addition of #15bn for the University revitalization fund.
In as much as we want to register our displeasures, we are also patriotic, therefore our leadership hereby announces the temporal suspension of our well planned nationwide mass protest billed to commence on the 24th November 2020 across the 36 states and the FCT till Friday the 27th November 2020.
With the ASUU and the FG agreement, ASUU shall have their salaries and allowances both arrears and present paid, government appointees in charge of labour and education too shall have non of their emoluments denied for the period the strike action has lasted.
Who will pay for Nigerian students’ time wasted? Who will pay for the extended house/hostel rent and most painfully who will make up for the life plan of students distorted by the strike?
We thus, appeal on a strong note to the FG to consider other demands of ours, so that Nigerian student won't be the losers again as usual.
We shall only return to the street only if our passionate appeals are not granted because Nigerian students have become wiser.
Dare to struggle, dare to win!
Comr. Chidi Ilogebe
NANS President.
