Angry Students Barricade Sagamu-Benin Expressway Over ASUU Strike

Some angry students have barricaded Sagamu-Benin Expressway protesting the prolonged strike action by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the joint protest had in attendance students from Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Tai Solarin University of Education, Science and Technology (TASUED) Ijagun and the Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta.

It was gathered that travellers have been left stranded as the students blocked the TASUED axis as well as the expressway.

The students held placards with inscriptions such as “End ASUU strike now”, “ We say no to educational stagnancy”, “ We’re tired of deadlock meetings” and “Education should not be this difficult” among others.

Speaking at the protest ground, the NANS Chairman in the state, Damilola Simeon, urged the Buhari-led government to act urgently to the yearnings of ASUU.

Simeon noted that it was high time the federal government and members of ASUU reached a compromise to end the strike.

“We don’t pray that our students end up engaging themselves in criminal activities as we all know that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop,” he said.

The NANS chairman admonished the government and ASUU to do the needful and call off the strike.

Don Ayomide, President, Student Union Government of TASUED, also at the protest said the action became necessary to inform the government and ASUU of the plight of Nigerian students.

He added that the federal government should endeavour to respect the agreements reached between the two parties, stressing that the students were most affected by the current strike.

ASUU announced a three-month extension of its ongoing strike, which began on Feb.14 to give the government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.