Tired of staying at home, hundreds of Bayero University, BUK, students in Kano, northwest Nigeria, on Thursday, staged a peaceful protest, and gave the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, one week to resolve their issues or face the wrath of Nigerian students.
The students also called on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to increase the annual budget for education to 26 per cent, insisting that doing so will solve the myriad long-term challenges facing Nigerian universities.
According to them, ASUU would not be asking for too much if they insist on the full implementation of the 2009 ASUU/FG Agreement, which to their views, will bring about the required face-lift needed in the universities across the country.
Comrade Sani Ibrahim President of Students Union Government, SUG, BUK chapter said Nigerian students must register their disappointment over government’s insensitivity to their well-being, adding, “we decided to take this action because we are tired of staying at home. Our mates in other countries are in school; why should the case of Nigerian students be different.”
In his words, “as part of the struggle to fight for our right is being pursued, I will like to salute our students for their patience while receiving the negative consequences of bad governance. We believe that the delay in resuming lectures in our Universities is not only lamentable but also devastating. We believe even more strongly that now is the time to let our leaders know that enough is enough and we shall wake up and say no to injustice being meted out to Nigerian students.
“Similarly, we call on the Federal Government to respect the 2009 agreement reached between government and ASUU. We also call on the government to review the annual budget for the education sector from eight per cent to 26 per cent, so as to ensure adequate rehabilitation of infrastructures in our universities, including hostels, laboratories, potable water and constant supply of electricity.
“In the same vein, we are calling on ASUU to give government more opportunity to dialogue so as to quickly resolve the differences for the best interest of Nigerian students.
We are giving ASUU and Federal Government one week to sort themselves out and resume lectures; otherwise, Nigerian students will look for other alternatives to fight for our right. Education is our right and no one should take it away from us,” Ibrahim stated
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