ASUU Strike: OAU Students Take Position on NLC’s Planned Nationwide Protest

The leadership of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Students’ Union has made its stance known on the planned nationwide protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in solidarity with one of its affiliate bodies , the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over the ongoing industrial action.

The union in a release jointly signed by its president, Olayiwola Folahan Festus; the public relations officer,Ogunperi Taofeek Olalekan; and its General Secretary, Odewale Samuel Damilare which was made available to Vreporters on Saturday said, it’s imperative that the generality of its teeming members join hands with the NLC to liberate the ivory towers from the incessant strike which has damaging effects on the quality of education in the nation’s public universities.

The statement read:”With ASUU strike in its sixth month despite the flurry of protests embarked on by us students so far, it has become imperative that we students join hands with Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on its planned nationwide two-day solidarity protest to support ASUU and other unions in their quest for quality education. This development is reassuring and deserving of our full participation, as it remains one of the major chances for us to end the ongoing strike and resume our classes.

“Great Ife students are encouraged to participate in the protest in the respective places that they are in the country. The protest is converging at every State Secretariat of the NLC and the Labour House, Abuja. The protest holds on Tuesday, 26 July 2022, and Wednesday, 27 July 2022”.

The union reiterated that, with mass participation in the planned protest, the action will in no doubt help the students in getting the government to do the needful after having failed to even honour the recommendations of the Nimi-Briggs Committee which it set up itself.

It urged the students who are at the receiving end of this impasse to put in their best and join hands with the NLC, for the betterment of education sector and for the students to return to their respective campuses as soon as possible.