The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has vowed to disrupt all political activities in the build-up to 2023 general elections including party primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is not urgently resolved by the Federal Government.
The students have also criticised the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, for obtaining the N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms to vie for the presidential ticket of APC while university students are “languishing” at home because of the ASUU strike.
NANS President, Comrade Sunday Asefon, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said it was unfortunate that politicians have really not shown concern to the plight of the Nigerian students.
He said the student body had given mediators time to prevail on the Federal Government to resolve issues with ASUU and ensure that students resume to their different campuses.
He, however, expressed disappointment that both ASUU and Federal Government are still grandstanding on the contentious issues without hope in sight for early resolution.
Members of ASUU had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14. On March 14, the union extended the industrial action by another two months to allow the government to meet all of its demands.
Asefon while expressing worries over the lingering crisis, vowed to ensure that the students are mobilised to frustrate all the activities leading to the selection of party candidates if the lecturers remain on strike.
He said: “I am compelled to write this morning being the beginning of a new month to address the unending ASUU strike.
“We have given mediators time to prevail on the Federal Government to resolve issues with ASUU and ensure our students resume to their different campuses but it seems all mediation failed or are failing as the case may be.
“We have also in the past weeks seen those saddled with great responsibility in the education sector and those saddled with responsibilities of resolving labour crises declaring interests to contest for the seat of the president come 2023.
“We are surprised by their effrontery and total disrespect to the Nigerian people for having the courage to even moot the idea of contesting, talkless of picking up the 100 million naira presidential form while students languish at home because of their collective failures.
“Politicians have shown no concern to the plight of the students but are only busy with their selfish and inordinate ambitions to become the next president.
“Let me say without mincing words, the two major political parties should forget any political gathering in Abuja or elsewhere except there is a solution to the lingering ASUU strike.
“We will frustrate all the activities leading to the selection of party candidates if we remain on strike. We also want to advise the government and the politicians who are busy campaigning to be president to either resolve the ASUU crisis or give direct orders to the security operatives to shoot us at sight during party conventions to select presidential candidates,” he said.
He insisted that “if we remain on strike, they should just forget it. Because they know our plans and how fearless we are while pursuing the interest of the students, we are aware they have bought some acclaimed student leaders with no conscience and no honour to divide us.”
The NANS president advised student leaders who are paid to return the money to their paymasters, warning that the wrath of the students would not spare them.
“We will fish them out and make them pay for their betrayal and atrocities against the collective interest of the students we all swore to protect.
“If the politician holding the trust of the country are only concerned about the next election, we are more concerned about the next generation and if there is no next generation, the election will soon go into extinction.
“In short, end ASUU strike now or forget about party primaries,” he said.
