The association said that Fashola's declaration of their protest over the government's failure to resolve the lingering industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as illegal is clear proof that the current government is determined to destroy state welfare by all means.
The leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) has said that the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has confirmed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government hates educational development in Nigeria.
The association said that Fashola's declaration of their protest over the government's failure to resolve the lingering industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as illegal is clear proof that the current government is determined to destroy state welfare by all means.
This was contained in a press statement released on Saturday and signed by the NANS' Chairman of National Task Force on “End ASUU Strike Now,” Ojo Raymond Olumide.
Recall that NANS has held four protests on the highways including Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Benin-Ore Expressway, Ibadan-Ife Expressway amongst others.
In his reaction, the former Governor of Lagos State, Fashola had described the protest as illegal.
But NANS in the statement made available to SaharaReporters said that rather than providing solutions to the cause of their protest and "Instead of them (federal and state governments) responding to us responsibly; we were shocked that the Minister of Works Babatunde Fashola came up with an illegal utterance befitting of only rabble-rousers and political irritants by calling out fundamental Human Rights "illegal."
The students association said that "What Minister Fashola has done is amazing. After all, the camera he found at LekkiTollGate after the massacre is still a mystery. Yet, the Minister's outburst is also another evidence that the Buhari government hates real educational development.
"They are never apologetic and are hell-bent on destroying every remnant of State welfare left. They prefer to kill the public schools instead of revamping them."
NANS further stated that "Nigerian students are not surprised that the Buhari government does not care about public education. After all, all the politicians have their kids schooling abroad while the children of the masses that constitute 99% of the population are only fit to be thugs, hard workers, and sex slaves.
"We dare say that this cruelty will not continue anymore. And, it is on this note we call on the national leadership of ASUU to synergise with Nigerian students in achieving this struggle that we have commenced by ensuring that a state of emergency is declared in the educational sector."
The association therefore passed a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, and called on the Nigerian government to pay the striking university lecturers all their outstanding salaries and allowances.
NANS also declared the "No Work, No Pay" policy by the federal government a fascist system which must not be implemented.
"We pass a vote of No Confidence on both Ministers of Labour and Education.
"We call on the Buhari government to pay all outstanding arrears and salaries of the lecturers. The policy of "No Work No Pay" is a Fascist one; it is, therefore, condemnable and non-acceptable to all the millions of students in Nigeria."