The new leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) led by Usman Umar Barambu has met with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the protracted strike action that has retained Nigerian students to their homes.
A statement by the Secretary General of the association, Usman Babba Kankia obtained by ASHENEWS on Sunday said the meeting which lasted for over six hours, was aimed at charting a way of ending the strike.
“Deliberations at the meeting which lasted for over six hours were fruitful. ASUU Professor Victor Osodeke was able to take the new leadership of NANS through the various agreements signed with the federal government and the terms and conditions laid before them so as to enable them return back to class.
“The President of ASUU reiterated the sheer negligence of the federal government in assuaging or making serious efforts to ending the over seven months strike and how the union remained unbending as the tactics of the federal government to use hunger to cajole them in returning back to class failed in entirety,” the statement reads.
According to Kankia, NANS president frowned at the federal government for not only failing to prevent the strike but also for allowing it to fetter for this long.
“In responding to the plethora of agreements and yearnings from the ASUU leadership, the NANS President, comrade Usman Barambu frowned at the docile attitude of federal government in not only failing to prevent the strike but for also allowing it to fettered for this long.”
He however appealed to ASUU to “kindly consider the sorry state of the Nigerian students and shift its ground even though some of their demands remained germane and pivotal to the development of public institutions in Nigeria as well as for the interest and dreams of students.”
Barambu further appreciated ASUU president for granting audience to NANS leadership and promised to “keep working together to achieve the desired results.
