The students of the Kogi State University, Anyigba yesterday brought commercial activities in the state Capital, Lokoja to a standstill as they embarked on a peaceful protest over the three month-old strike by lecturers of the school.
Members of the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had embarked on the strike over alleged unresolved salary issues with the state government.
The students in their numbers occupied the popular Ganaja Junction as early as 8.30am, paralysing business activities in parts of Lokoja.
They demanded for immediate resolution of the impasse between ASUU and the state government and ASUU, saying that their concern remains the immediate reopening of the university.
They lamented that they have over stayed at home, saying that those who are expected to graduate will miss the annual NYSC programmes.
In apparent dissatisfaction with the leadership of the student union body interventions, the students said they will not shift the ground, chanting anti-establishment songs, just as they demanded the immediate resolution of the logjam.
“We want immediate resolution to the lingering crisis. We have over stayed at home. When it started, we thought it would be addressed immediately. Now we have spent three months at home while all other institutions in neighbouring states are graduating”, they stated.
Efforts by the National President of the National Association of Nigeria Students whose name was not immediately made available to journalists was turned down by the students, as they alleged that the union leaders may been settled by the government.
Similarly the angry mobs also manhandled the President of SUG who was trying to address the crowd, stating that his in actions has caused the students “three months at home”.
Also, efforts by the State Commissioner of Police (CP) Yakubu Usman, the Director of State Security Service (SSS) and state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to pacify the students were rebuffed, as they insisted that they will only dialogue Governor Yahaya Bello.
However, they later soft peddered, as they listened to the SSS boss, but insisted that the university must be reopened before they will agree to go back to Anyingba.
Travelers passing through the state capital were worse off for it, as those caught up in the protest were stranded, as the angry students barricaded roads leading the Eastern part of the stat and the South East and South South parts of the country.
Efforts to speak with government officials at the scene proved abortive as they refused to talk, just as the students refused to dialogue with them.
It would recalled that the institution’s chapter of ASUU have been at loggerheads with the state government over unpaid salary and eventually embarked on the strike.
The state government said it has paid four months salary arrears to the striking workers but ASUU insisted that the it offset all before it can return to work.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Mohammed Awwal at a press conference however appealed to the striking lecturers to return to the classrooms.
He appealed with them to return to the classrooms for the sake of the students.
“The ASUU strike affects not just the psyche of the students, but also causes further stress to the parents and ultimately tarnishes the reputation of our great state. ASUU is reminded that they were the first to be paid even when government could access only 40 percent of the bailout funds requested”, he stated.
