On Monday, the South-West Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) made the announcement that it would host what it referred to as a “final burial rite of public education in Nigeria.”
The Student Union blamed President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)’s ongoing strike action when it made the announcement.
According to Akahi News, the ASUU has been striking since February 2022.
Adegboye Olatunji, the NANS Coordinator, and Awoyinfa Opeoluwa, the NANS Spokesperson, responded in a statement dated Monday, October 3, claiming that the current government is ready to pay tribute to public education.
They were told by NANS that they would return to the streets in the coming days.We have an obligation to bring to the attention of both the general public and the international community the flagrant insult that was delivered to Nigerian students by the careless Buhari administration.
We want Nigerian students to be prepared for massive ASUU strike protests.
We are certain that this government opposes public education and the aspirations of millions of young people.
According to the statement, “In the coming days, we shall be occupying the streets across the South-West region to conduct a final burial rite of public education in the country because this is what the Buhari administration represents.”
On Monday, NANS said that the planned national honor for Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education, was an insult to the country’s students.
Tope Giwa, a spokesperson for the NANS, stated that the ongoing strike by ASUU is evidence that the Muhammadu Buhari administration does not care about the plight of students.
“Nigerian students have been taken for a ride,” he said.
According to Akahi News, 437 Nigerians will receive National Awards at a ceremony scheduled for October 11, 2022. The Minister of Education is among the recipients, and he or she is expected to receive the Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).
The NANS spokesperson responded by stating in a statement that Adamu is to blame for the ASUU strike, which has gone on for approximately eight months, and as a result, there is no reason to award him.
He went on to say that the move contradicts the Buhari administration’s integrity claims because the educational sector has collapsed completely under the Minister’s watch.