Lecturers of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, the University of Ibadan and the Osun State University (UniOsun) on Monday protested their continued stay at home, following the prolonged industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
But it was learnt that a simultaneous protest embarked upon by lecturers of the University of Calabar was frustrated by the Police.
While the lecturers from OAU staged their rally round streets of ancient town of Ile-Ife, lecturers from Osun State University conducted their rally at the newly constructed freedom square at old garage, Osogbo, the state capital.
The rallies by the lecturers from the two institutions were peaceful and under police protection.
At both rallies, the striking lecturers decried the action the action of Federal Government for attempting to introduce politics in to the demands of the ASUU over the agreement reached with the former.
There was traffic jam at Ile-Ife as the rally kicked off from the Oduduwa Hall of the institution through to the main gate and major streets in Ile-Ife. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) coordinated the rally at Ile-Ife, with view to prevent it from being hijacked by touts and hoodlums, just as security operatives controlled the traffic as part of thr efforts to checkmate the suffering of the motorists plying the Ondo-Ore road.
While addressing the lecturers and the public, the chairman of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) branch of ASUU, Dr. Adegbola Akinola said the Federal Government was yet to fulfill the agreement reached with the leadership of the union.
He explained that the sensitisation rally was in compliance with the directive from the National Secretariat of the union stressing that the government has not worked in tandem with the agreement reached with the union.
Akinola maintained that the government was not transparent over the ASUU’s demands declaring that the union’s position was to sanitise the tertiary education sector.
Also speaking, Dr. Amos Adeoye Idowu from the Department of Public Law said that the enlightenment rally was to ensure that tertiary institutions in the country are funded the way it should be saying that “we are saying no to bastardisation of tertiary educational system as was done to primary and secondary education system.
“We are covered by the law which gives every Nigerian the right to express their mind. We are out to claim civil and political rights by educating members of the public why ASUU is on nationwide strike so that the government will be proactive in taken care of education in the country.
“We are looking for a situation whereby the government runs away from wastage. What we are saying is that government should give tertiary institution priority attention. We don’t want a situation whereby our youths get out of schools without job”, he said.
The Chairman, Osun State University branch of ASUU, Dr. Joseph Abiona expressed worry that majority of Nigerians have been misinformed by the blackmail from the government.
He said that the rally was to educate the people on what is actually happening and correct the impression by the people that ASUU rejected the offers of government.
The protesters from OAU, who embarked on a peaceful protest against what they termed as government’s inaction to their plight that resulted in the ongoing strike, marched to the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, chanting anti-government songs and calling for support from Nigerians while the branch chairman, Peter Akinola, appealed to the Federal Government to meet ASUU’s demands so that the union could suspend the action.
Calling on traditional rulers to intervene in the crisis, a lecturer from the institution, who joined the protest, also urged the government to make education for the country’s children a major part of the president’s Transformation Agenda, adding that the protest was because of ASUU’s concern with undergraduates’ plight of continuously staying at home.
A representative of the traditional ruler at the palace and Sarun Oodua of the Ife kingdom, Chief Adekola Adeyeye, commended them for the peaceful protest. He also told the lecturers that their grievances would be passed to the Oba for subsequent treatment.
Meanwhile, while this was going on, hundreds of policemen, led by Nnange Itam, an assistant commissioner of police in charge of operations, frustrated the protest that was carried out by lecturers of the University of Calabar. It was learnt that as early as 6.00am, the police officers, acting on orders, barricaded the main entrances into the university and barred the lecturers from gaining access into the streets for the protest.
ASUU chairman for the branch, Dr James Ikpiliya, said the protest was meant to enlighten the people on ASUU’s stand on the strike, adding that it was organised by the University of Calabar and the Cross River State University of Technology.
According to him, the strike was the final battle to save education in the country by going round major cities in Calabar to clear the air on the blackmail and misinformation by the Federal Government that ASUU was on strike for their selfish interest and personal aggrandizement.
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