The National Association of Nigerian Students has said that it is taking its Wednesday protest to the stakeholders’ meeting of the South-West Peoples Democratic Party.
NANS, in a statement issued Wednesday, by its National Public Relations Officer, Giwa Yetunde, NANS said the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had not taken any position to identify with the students since the commencement of the strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
ASUU strike began February 14, 2022.
The statement read, “Our attention has just been drawn to the fact that there would be a stakeholders’ meeting of the South-West Peoples’ Democratic Party today in Ibadan in preparation for the 2023 general election.
“It is of significant note that since the commencement of this industrial action by the national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the presidential candidate of the party has not found it worthy to in anyway solidarise with the Nigerian students and lecturers despite the fact that this strike action is taking its toll on both students and lecturers.
“Of importance is even the fact that we have not seen or read his blueprint on the educational sector as a presidential candidate. This sends a very bad signal to the generality of Nigerian students that the ruling elites do not have our interest at heart and that there is no difference between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress.
“It is based on the foregoing that we declare that the Ibadan protest scheduled to hold at Iwo Road shall be moved down to the venue of the PDP’s gathering from wherever our convergence point is.
“Enough of playing politics with the future of Nigerian students. And, once again, we pass a vote of no confidence on the ministers of education and Labour, Mallam Adamu Adamu and Chris Ngige respectively.
NANS had earlier scheduled the convergence point for its Wednesday protest to be at the Iwo Road Roundabout in Ibadan.