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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Students under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have stormed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos to press home their demands for the government to resolve the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, which has dragged on for seven months.
Recall that NANS had earlier said it will ground activities at the local and international airports across the country beginning from Monday, September 19, over the strike.
It said the decision to ground activities at the airports was due to the successes recorded in its road protests during which several highways were blocked.
The leadership of NANS, which spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said the grounding of airports was to make the rich share in the pains of the students occasioned by the prolonged strike action.
The Chairman, NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Ojo Raymond Olumide, had last week said students were tired of pleading with both parties to end the strike
He told ASUU not to call off the strike after the Federal Government announced the increment in the salary of the lecturers, adding that they should insist on other demands that led to the strike action.
“We shall begin another round of protest next week by storming the airspaces on Monday, 19th September 2022 to #OccupyTheAirports. We want to let the world know about the pains and anguish students are going through.
“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.