Fifty-two Northern groups under the aegis of Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), yesterday, have resolved to join the planned solidarity protest by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over the lingering strike by the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU).
NLC’s National President, Ayuba Wabba, had, in a letter dated July 15, notified its chairpersons nationwide that the Congress would on July 27 and 27 protest to nudge government into meeting ASUU’s demands.
The academic union went on strike in February over government’s failure to honour an agreement it signed with government in 2009 on funding, salaries and allowances of lecturers.
National Coordinator of CNG’s Student Wing, Jamilu Charanchi, in a statement, accused government of paying lips service to the plight of lecturers.
He posited that the same politicians who benefitted from the magnanimity and foresight of past Nigerian leaders in the provision of quality now deprive others from enjoying quality education.
Charanchi noted that the protest would be the mother of all protests as they would close the railways, airways, railways, offices of political parties and state houses of assembly until their demands are met.
“As a last option and failure of these decent moves to yield positive results and ensure the reopening of universities, we hereby direct all our state chapters to mobilise students and parents to join the Nigerian Labour Congress for a massive protest that would entail the shutting down of activities in all states and national assemblies, all political party offices and all major highways, airways and railways.
“It is unfortunate that people in government today, whom are the major beneficiaries of the magnanimity and foresight of past Nigerian leaders in the provision of quality, accessible readily available and affordable education are today the same people working to deprive other generations of the same privileges. We are left with no option but to do anything humanly possible which will ensure the reopening of our classes.”
(Adapted from a report by Daily Sun)
