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Defy Nigeria Police Threats, Join Labour Congress' Nationwide Protests To Save University Education, Coalition Tells Students

University lecturers in Nigeria under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on strike for five months.


A group under the aegis of the Fund Education Coalition has called on students across the country to ignore the threats by Nigerian security agencies and join the Nigeria Labour Congress nationwide protests to put pressure on the government to resolve the crisis in university education.

University lecturers in Nigeria under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on strike for five months.

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NLC has declared Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26 and 27 respectively as dates for nationwide protests against the failure of the Nigerian government to resolve the crisis, which has grounded activities in public universities.

 

ASUU, the umbrella body of the Nigerian university lecturers had embarked on a four-week warning strike in February to demand the implementation of the 2009 FG/ASUU agreement, which stipulates funding arrangements for university education in the country.

 

After the expiration of the warning strike, it was extended following the government’s inability to agree on the implementation of the agreement. The government has since said it lacks the financial resources needed to implement the agreement and efforts to broker a new agreement had ended in a deadlock.

 

Meanwhile, Fund Education Coalition in a statement titled ‘Call On Nigerian Students’, issued on Monday by its Public Relations Officer, Joseph Aliu, “enjoined Nigerian students not to be afraid to come out over the threats by Nigerian security agencies, noting that their future and future of education in the country is in their hands”.

 

The statement partly read, "It is no longer news that the Nigerian students who are children of the working class citizens have since been cheated for too long by the ruling and oppressing class by permitting series of incessant ASUU strikes and pocket tearing school fees which has not only marred the bright future of many Nigerian students but also resulted in the increase in school dropouts and also half-baked graduates.

 

"The Fund Education Coalition is charging well-meaning Nigerian students to not give up at this time. Here’s a time to roll our sleeves, dust our boots, march and relocate to the barricades.

 

"Our future lies in our hands. Nobody shall save us from this sinking educational ship if we don’t save ourselves.

 

"Nigerian students should be aware that education is a RIGHT for every one of them and they cannot at this time be bamboozled by the shameless display of clampdown by the government through the men-in-black to students who are merely demanding a better education.

 

"Nigeria students should get set to fight this educational oppression to a logical conclusion.

 

"On this, the Fund Education Coalition is charging and calling on its member in all states and the generality of aggrieved Nigerian students to join the civil mass action initiated by the Nigerian Labour Congress, slated for Tuesday, 26th and Wednesday, 27th of July, 2022."

 

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Education