— Warn Government To Meet ASUU’s Demands

Students from northern states of Nigeria on Friday embarked on a protest in Jalingo, Taraba State, over the prolonged ASUU strike.

The students protested under the auspices of the Coalition of Northern Groups’ Students

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They called on traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and government at all levels to intervene and end the university teachers strike.

It would be recalled that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on a prolonged strike over Federal Government’s inability to fulfill the agreements they reached with University teachers over salaries and allowances.

Reports said the students carried placards bearing inscriptions like ‘FG, end ASUU strike now’, ‘Incessant ASUU/FG face-off, a demonstration of craziness,’ among others.

They also reportedly “barricaded the busy Jalingo Expressway, a situation that caused gridlock for motorists.”

Speaking to journalists, the National Secretary-General of the Coalition, Emuseh Gimba, accused the Federal Government of not meeting the demands of the striking lecturers.

“The Federal Government has refused to listen to ASUU or even consider their plea. This is something we are supposed to be responsible for,” she said.

“These same people in government have once been students. These people have enjoyed free education in the past. They are the same people that call themselves our parents. If they will not listen to the plea of our lecturers, why won’t they listen to the plea of the Nigerian students?

“Why won’t they consider the fact that they enjoyed free education and the students in this time are not enjoying free education they enjoyed?”

She added that “students schooling in Kaduna, Katsina, and other northern states are worried by the worsening state of insecurity.”