The Nation Newspaper

Tag: protest

  • Abuja indigenes protest quit order by the Army

    Some indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday barricaded the main entrance of the National Assembly protesting a quit notice allegedly issued to them by the Nigerian Army.

    The leader of the group, Alhaji Jubrin Mamman, said the Army recently encroached into their lands, located at Tunga Maje, along Gwagwalada-Abaji axis of the FCT.

    Mamman said that the action violated a court ruling restraining them from doing so.

    He further claimed that the security agency had given them up till the end of October to vacate the areas.

    “We will not accept to be treated as strangers in our lands.

    “We have been living at Tunga Maje and its environs for years and won’t let anyone, including the Nigerian Army, to intimidate us out of our lands.

    “We are appealing to the authorities of Federal Capital Territory to tell Army to leave us alone.

    “There is an existing court order restraining them from chasing us away from our lands but they are not obeying it.

    “That is why we have come to express our grievances,” he said.

    Mamman added that the group had earlier petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) on the matter.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the protesters, who arrived the National Assembly at 11 a.m. prevented vehicles from entering the complex.

    They displayed placards with various inscriptions expressing their displeasure over any move to evict them from the area.

    However, attempt by the protesters to force themselves into the complex to meet the leadership of Senate and the House of Representatives was resisted by the security operatives.

    The main gate was reopened at about 2 p.m. when the protesters had dispersed.

  • Hike in cement price: bricklayers set Oct 19 for protest

    Hike in cement price: bricklayers set Oct 19 for protest

    Bricklayers under the aus-pices of Lagos State Bricklayers Association have concluded arrangements to organise a one-day peaceful rally on October 19 to protest the high price of cement across the country.

    In a letter to the Inspector-General of Police through the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the association said the rally would take off from 7Up bus stop, Alausa in Ikeja, and terminate at the governor’s office.

    A copy of the letter signed by the association’s President, Deacon Abel Kayode, and General Secretary, Akinmoladu Olaniyi, dated September 19, said the rally was aimed at “informing and seeking the intervention of the governor on our distress and inability to cope with the high price of cement”.

    The price of cement, a major component in the building and construction industry, recently rose from N1,600 to between N2, 000 and N2, 600 per bag. This did not go down well with bricklayers, with kayode calling on the Federal Government to intervene to bring down the price failing which the associations’over 500 members would carry out a rally.

    Kayode said the anguish of the association’s members over the sudden increase in the price of cement had been compounded by lack of options or choices of cement brands to buy as was the practice in the past.

    “We are stock with only two brands of cement across the country, Dangote and Lafarge, hence the manufacturers’extremely high price of cement,” he added.

  • Alleged financial fraud: Groups protest EFCC probe on Patience Jonathan

    • EFCC: Nobody is above the law

    Hundreds of youths in Rivers State, yesterday, took to the streets of Port Harcourt to protest the ongoing probe on the former Nigerian First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

    The protesters, who peacefully marched from the CFC junction on the Aba-Port Harcourt highway to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), described the ongoing probe as harassment against the former first lady.

    They carried placards bearing different inscriptions like, ‘Why are you Harassing our daughter?’; EFCC leave our daughter alone’ she is not a thief and ‘it is politically motivated’ among others.

    It will be recalled that the EFCC had said it discovered over $31 million and others in an account owned by Mrs. Jonathan.

    The protesters, who came under  three platforms, including the  Coalition of Civil Rights Organisation; Concerned Youths and the Ijaw Nation Worldwide, said the probe is targeted at damaging the reputation of the former first lady.

    In a protest letter submitted to the Zonal Head of EFCC, South- South zonal office in Port Harcourt, Ishaq Salihu, the leader of the protesters, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe, stated that the activities of the EFFC were aimed at stealing Mrs. Jonathan’s hard earned money and reputation.

    The letter read in part: “The continued portrayal  of Mrs. Patience Jonathan as a woman of questionable character is totally condemnable by the people of Niger Delta, this we shall not fold our hands and watch.

    “We know this trial is politically motivated and it is to steal Patience Jonathan’s hard earned money in this era of great hunger and economic recession. The EFCC establishment act of 2004 is inferior in content and quality to the African chatter human right 2004 and the 1999 constitution of the Federal Government as amended.

    “We therefore call on you sir and your commission, the EFCC to render unreserved apology for the damage already committed and take remedial action in restoring to Mrs. Jonathan’s bartered image.

    “It is against this inspiring and meritorious background, that we most respectfully write to draw your attention to the numerous breaches of the 1999 constitution as amended and the African Charter on Human and the people’s right (gratification and enforcement) Act 2004, this atrocity committed by the EFCC in the course of the commissions illegal and unlawful investigation of Mrs. Patience Jonathan for alleged money laundry. This investigation has reportedly led to the freezing of her account. This has led to untold consequences of Mrs. Jonathan health and wellbeing.

    “We came in a peaceful manner without insulting or throwing words at anybody. We are here to kindly see the EFCC, letting them and the world knows that we are not happy about the victimization of sister.”

    He also claimed that that there is no formal criminal complaint against of Mrs. Jonathan in any court that has warranted the freezing of her account, even as he urged the commission to unfreeze the said account.

    The Zonal Head of EFCC, Ishaq Salihu, who addressed the protesters, said: “I am very happy with the manner you have coordinated yourselves peacefully in this protest, and that is why I am here to address you. I want to assure you that we are a creation of the law. We respect the way you approached the situation.”

    “Nobody should justify the criminal illegality that has been going on. Our motto is nobody is above the law. There is nothing like selective cases in the EFCC. We are professionals to the core and the invitation of someone is the last leg of our cases. Bank documents and things that are required must have been gotten.”

  • OAU workers protest unpaid allowances

    OAU workers protest unpaid allowances

    The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Senate meeting was going on peacefully until some workers stormed the venue, protesting the alleged non-payment of their allowances. The protesters allegedly manhandled some members of the Senate, but the school says there is no cause for alarm, as the issues are being resolved, reports WALE AJETUNMOBI.

    · NASU, SSANU disrupt Senate meeting
    · Management: no cause for alarm

    Barely two months after Prof Anthony Elujoba assumed office as the Acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, the honeymoon between him and the workers seems over. Another crisis has erupted between management and the workers’ unions over unpaid salary arrears and allowances.

    Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), it was learnt,  disrupted the last OAU Senate meeting because of the VC’s alleged failure  to pay the allowances.

    A source said some members of the workers’ union threatened Prof Elujoba’s life, an allegation the NASU chairman, Wole Odewumi, denied.

    The school’s spokesman, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said no one threatened the VC’s life when the meeting was disrupted. He, however, said some of the workers were unruly, adding that they “manhandled” some members of the Senate.

    Prof Elujoba’s appointment as  Acting VC on July 21 was greeted with spontaneous celebrations. Workers and students trooped out in a carnival-like procession round the campus immediately the announcement was made.

    In academic circles, the celebration indicated acceptance of the new OAU helmsman. Elujoba’s appointment came after months of controversy over the selection of a substantive VC, which pitted the university workers against the Governing Council.

    A member of the Senate told CAMPUSLIFE that SSANU and NASU members had initially threatened to deal with the Bursar, Mrs Josephine Akeredolu, during a management meeting held on August 29. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Mrs Akeredolu was sent on compulsory leave for her safety.

    At the meeting, it was gathered, the VC was allegedly forced to sign a document, promising to pay 10 months arrears of the second tranche of earned allowances codenamed “Productivity Allowance”.

    The Acting VC, CAMPSULIFE learnt, told the workers’ unions that paying the allowances from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) would violate the Federal Government’s directive, which prohibits higher institutions from disbursing their IGR and investment funds to pay emoluments.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Prof Elujoba explained to the Senate members that the government had not released the second tranche of the earned allowances to the university, saying he had verified from the school’s banks  to know whether the funds had been remitted to pay the allowances.

    The demand for payment of the earned allowances led to a protracted crisis between the unions and the immediate past VC, Prof Bamitale Omole.

    Speaking to our correspondent on telephone, Olanrewaju said: “It is not correct that anybody threatened to attack the VC. That is not the true picture of what transpired at the last Senate meeting. The VC addressed members of the union when some of them became unruly, because they learnt that the Bursar was at the meeting, which I also personally attended.

    “It was the VC that called the unions’ leaders to sort out the salary issues of members of staff school of the university. So, that was the purpose and primary aim of the meeting. The members of the unions came and felt they should raise concern about their earned allowances because of the presence of the Bursar at the meeting.

    “They felt everything would be sorted out there. So, they started singing and chanting. Some of them also believed it was an opportunity for the Bursar to tell the VC where the money of the university is being kept. They held virtually everyone at the meeting hostage, but they did not touch the VC. Some people were manhandled. But, nobody threatened the VC.”

    On the alleged compulsory leave of the Bursar, the spokesman said: “Mrs Akeredolu requested to go on leave because she had some accumulated leave she had not observed. It has nothing to do with threat to her life.”

    At the time of this report, there was palpable fear in the school as  SSANU and NASU vowed not to back down on their demands. For peace to reign, the unions listed four demands that the acting VC must meet.

    The demands included stopping and returning of pension deductions, implementation of two-step salary differential for teaching staff, payment of 15 per cent outstanding salary arrears, and payment of earned allowances, hazard, excess workload and overtime.

    It remained unclear how the management would meet the workers’ demand, but a highly-placed source said Prof Elujoba was considering the payment of the workers’ allowances in violation of the government’s directive if only to allow peace to reign.

    Denying that the unions disrupted the Senate meetings, Odewumi told CAMPUSLIFE on telephone “Who told you we disrupted the Senate meeting? There was nothing like that. The acting VC has set up a task force on the unpaid allowances and we are still working on it. We met with the task force members last Friday and the meeting was postponed to Wednesday (yesterday).

    “If it was not for the Sallah holiday, we would have concluded the meeting last Monday. But, by Friday (tomorrow), everything would be okay. I can confirm to you that there is no crisis in OAU, at least for now.”

    Odewumi also said it was not true that the unions forced the Acting VC to sign a document to pay the earned allowances. “As I said earlier, there is no truth in the rumour. We will not force anyone to pay our lawful allowances. The last meeting we held with the VC went smoothly and I have the report of the meeting,” he said.

  • Protest: Lagos approves funds for LASUCOM

    Protest: Lagos approves funds for LASUCOM

    The Lagos State Government has approved the funds that would ensure full accreditation of Dentistry department in the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja.

    LASUCOM Provost Prof Babtunde Solagberu said the last stage, out of four stages to guarantee the department’s full accreditation by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Nigeria (MDCN) had been stalled due to lack of funds.

    Speaking to journalists in College’s conference room yesterday, he noted that the funds have now been approved by the state government to procure the “few” items left to guarantee full accreditation of the department of Dentistry.

    Prof Solagberu said: “We have a new programme running in the university – the Dentistry department. We are the only state-owned university that is running the dentistry department. Other states run away from it because it is capital intensive, but the Lagos State government has chosen to put it in place here. There are four stages of accreditation. The initial three stages have been done successfully and we were running a little hitch on the fourth one. But now, I can assure you that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has signed the approval for the funds that would procure the equipments left to guarantee the final stage of accreditation. It just takes some processes to effect it. Yesterday (Monday), we obtained the ‘Certificate of No Objection’ from the Lagos State Procurement Office. This is the certificate that ensures that the money can be released to us.”

    He noted that the department was already almost fully equipped, except for the need to procure about four additional dental chairs, expand some spaces and other surgical equipments, since the Council’s specification says there should not be more than four students working with one dental chair.

    Responding to the Dentistry department students’ protest on Monday, the provost said: “Truly the students’ certificates have been delayed, but it was not just because of the accreditation issue. Many other factors contributed to their spending eight years, rather than the normal six years. Like the fact that some of them did a year of diploma before commencing their programme; the hitches that paused academic activities of the University; among others. I am sure the students are very appreciative of the Governor’s efforts in the school. We have 24 hours electricity supply, our monthly subvention was increased by 30 per cent in June, among others. We reassure them that we have their best interests at heart and so does government.”

    The students had staged a protest at the Governor’s office in Alausa on Monday, clamouring for immediate accreditation of their department to help them graduate.

  • BRT drivers protest salary delay, draconian policy

    BRT drivers protest salary delay, draconian policy

    •Go back to work, LAMATA directs aggrieved drivers

    Over 800 drivers of Primero Transport Service, operators of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme on the Ikorodu corridor abandoned work yesterday. They staged a over alleged delay in the payment of their salary and harsh working conditions.

    They also protested what they called “the draconian policy” in cutting their salaries by 36 per cent and 36 per cent increase in their bonus with conditionality.

    The drivers, who assembled at their Majidun, Ikorodu Depot as early as 7am,   carried placards with various messages to register displeasure with their employer.

    The action which caught commuters unaware, left them with no option than to either trek or patronise the smaller buses. Operators of the smaller buses took advantage of the situation to fleece commuters.

    Attempts by the company’s Managing Director Mr Fola Tinubu to get the drivers back to work proved abortive as the protesters stuck to their guns.

    The regulator, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) yesterday appealed for calm, urging the aggrieved drivers to go to suspend the protest, saying has raised a tripartite committee to address their grievances.

    The company which has over 2, 000 workers, began operation in November 2015. It is the biggest route operator having 484 buses in its fleet.

    Besides the delayed salary payment, the drivers also alleged poor welfare package and unfavourable conditions of service.

    The drivers in their hundreds were seen near the gates of the company when The Nation visited the Depot yesterday. Many of the buses were used to barricade the corridor to prevent movement.

    A driver, Mr Julius Adejire, said: “For some days, we have been waiting for our salary for July but up to this moment, we have not received payment alert.

    The drivers alleged they were infuriated that while they haven’t been paid, some support staff, including engineers, have started receiving alerts.

    Apart from salary delays, the drivers also wanted improved welfare package and a better working condition.

    Adejire alleged: “We are supposed to work for 40 hours a week but they subjected us to 48 hours and we had only one day off instead of two days.

    “In our appointment letter, they said we will receive N60,000 as basic salary and N20,000 as performance bonus.

    “Suddenly, after five months, they changed it to N40,000 basic and N40,000 bonus with a lot of conditions attached to the bonus.

    “For instance, a driver will be denied the bonus pay if he or she is late to work for at least three times a month.

    “With the conditions attached to it, if care is not taken, 85 per cent of us cannot get that performance bonus.

    “You are trying to instil discipline, but there is no staff bus for drivers who come from as far as Sango-Ota, Badagry and Agbara without alternative accommodation arrangement,’’ he said.

    He added that drivers who could not afford to sleep on the bridge adjourning the BRT bus shelter often pay N500 monthly, to sleep in a nearby church.

    “We have pleaded with them to give us a place, but that is not forthcoming’’, he said.

    Another driver, Mathew Odewale, said he has been unable to offset the medical bill of his daughter as a result of the delayed salary.

    “As for me, I have a daughter who had an accident and whose bills I have to pay because I don’t have medical insurance yet.”

    Another driver Richard Olokunayekusibe told The Nation: “They promised us at first that they will pay our salary on first day of every month and on 15th, they will pay us our bonus. Now we are collecting our bonus on 9th day of the month and last month, we collected our salary on the 11th. The June salary was paid on the 12th and this month has not been paid. We come to work empty stomach to drive this bus and one can feel dizzy on the steering. If you mistakenly hit someone’s vehicle, you will be accused of reckless driving.

    “We thought the Managing Director will do us well but he is only victimising us. If a passenger wants to alight at a particular bus-stop and he or she doesn’t ring the bell before the bus stop and the passenger just rang the bell immediately after the bus stop, he (Tinubu) will said you have passed the bus stop and you can’t stop again and if you stop, they will deduct N2,000 from our salary. We are expected to take them to the next bus stop not minding the distance in-between the bus stops.

    ‘’Before we came here, we were somewhere before and where we left, we didn’t spoil the place. Our previous bosses keep calling us to come and work for them. If he sacked us, he is going to lose what he doesn’t suppose to lose. Like what happened to former BRT operators when they sacked the ‘pilots’ and went to employ inexperienced drivers.”

    Another driver said: “They don’t want any unionism and if you do that, they will sack you immediately by collecting your uniform and ID card which is very wrong. When you do your investigation very well, you will discover that it is not the drivers that are at fault but the management.”

    A source within the company wondered why the drivers would be protesting only five days delay in the payment of the July salary.

    Tinubu hinged the delay in salary payment on an error.

    He said: “What is happening according to what they say is that we did not pay them on time. But it is really due to an error and we’ve corrected it.

    “The money was paid yesterday; so why they are doing this now beats me because the money should be in their account by now and I have been trying to tell them this.”

    On the allegation of reviewed salary structure, Tinubu said the company’s management took the decision to review the salary to instil discipline.

    He said: “When I took over, they were being paid a basic salary of N60,000 and bonus of N20,000, but nobody was being paid the bonus.

    “So, the moment I took over, I thought it was unfair not to pay their bonus and I made sure they get their bonus.

    “But what we discovered was that majority of them are not conscientious and when they take the buses out they just park somewhere and don’t work.

    “So, we decided to slash the salary to N40,000 and raise the bonus to N40,000; it is exactly the same amount.

    “We are not trying to take money away from them but we don’t want to pay people who will not work.

    “The only people that it will affect are people that refuse to work and we don’t want those people in the system anyway.

    “What we’ve done is to give them good working incentives, we are not asking them to work any harder.

    “The way the country is today, you cannot expect us to be paying people who don’t want to work. So, that’s the genesis of the whole issue.’’

    The managing director added that the management will not rest on its oars to ensure that workers got their entitlement and reward for hard work.

    Tinubu said: “We’ve even laid a very generous path for them that show that if you get your bonuses consecutively for six months, you get an automatic pay increase.

    “I am even talking to some people to see how they can build a hostel for them near our office here that they will pay for.

    “So, there are so many things we are doing to make life comfortable for them, but this (protest) is not going to help because of loss of revenue.’’

    Some stranded passengers expressed shock at the development. They urged the government to intervene in the interest of commuters.

    Mr Hakeen Adenuga, a businessman said the BRT has greatly reduced the cost of living by reducing transportation fares for people living in the Ikorodu axis.

    “But I was shocked when I got to the bus terminal early today (yesterday) to discover that the buses had yet to arrive even as at 6.30 am. It is bad that this is coming at a time the economy is under severe recession,” he said.

    LAMATA yesterday sued for calm as efforts were being made to resolve all grievances.

    A statement by the authority’s External Communication Specialist Mr Kolawole Ojelabi said all issues leading to the disruption in passenger services are being looked into.

  • Protest ‘in the air’ as opening ceremony holds today

    The opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will hold today with the traditional match past involving the 205 countries as well as a refugee team.

    In the most prestigious multi-sports event, athletes will also take part in 42 sports, 306 events, while 37 venues have been put in place to host all the events.

    Meanwhile, chaotic scenes marred the arrival of the Olympic torch in Rio de Janeiro. Hundreds of demonstrators angry at the high cost of hosting the Games protested and riot police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

    Images on news websites showed at least one policeman appearing to fire a projectile directly at a protester.

    The Olympic torch arrived in Rio de Janeiro by boat after a three-month tour of Brazilian cities.

    The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, carried the torch on its first few laps through the city centre.

    But images taken later showed crowds of people including many families with children who had

    come out to watch the torch relay running away in fear from the police action.

    The police told local media that a group of people refused to leave one lane of the road open for the torch as had been agreed earlier and blocked the street in one place. They said they had to intervene to contain the chaos and clear the road.

    The BBC says that this is exactly what Olympic organisers feared might happen after what has been a relatively peaceful and sometimes spectacular torch relay.

    On Tuesday at least three protesters were arrested by the police in the town of Niteroi, across the bay from Rio during the torch relay there. The police used pepper spray and part of the relay had to be abandoned.

    Brazil is in the grip of a deep recession and political crisis, and further protests are expected ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday. Organisers say more than a million tickets remain unsold.

  • Igbo traders protest murder of colleague

    Igbo traders protest murder of colleague

    Commercial activities were paralysed in Kano yesterday as Igbo traders across the 44 local government areas of the state shut their shops.

    The traders’ action was to protest the alleged killing of Augustine Tochukwu Ilo, 42, a patent medicine dealer, by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    Ilo from Umunze in Orumba-South of Anambra State, was shot by two men identified as SARS operatives from Bompai Police Headquarters, last Wednesday.

    The over 10,000 protesters gathered at Rumfa Primary School, Sabon Gari, to also protest the killing of Bridget Agbahime by religious fundamentalists at Kofar Wambai market about three months ago.

    They prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed and demanded justice, insisting that never again should such cruel actions be taken against them.

    The traders carried placards with inscriptions such as, “Enough is enough, stop killing Igbos”; “Igbos are God’s own people, even animals cannot be killed as the Igbos are being indiscriminately killed in Kano”; “What is our offence, are we not Nigerians?”

    Tochukwu’s widow, Ebere said she was in Onitsha in Anambra State when she heard about her husband’s ill fate.

    “We left Kano a month ago. His business was not moving well as a lot of people owed him. On that Wednesday when I heard the news, I returned to Kano but he was pronounced dead before I got there.

    “I am still in shock; he was all I had after God. Who will take care of me and my children—Chisom (seven months) and two-year old Chinonso? My husband was peace-loving. They owed him and now they have killed him; what was his offence?”

    His elder brother, Osita said the deceased spoke before he died.

    Addressing reporters, Chairman of the Amalgamation of Igbo Traders Union (AITU), Chief Emmanuel C. Amadi, described the murders as unfortunate, insisting that they did not commit any offence.

    “Those SARS operatives and the religious fundamentalists just decided to waste the lives of these innocent Igbo traders.

    “The gathering today (yesterday) encompasses all tribes, ranging from Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik and other minority tribes, all of who are troubled over these incidents,” he said.

    Chief Amadi prayed that Tochukwu’s widow, Ebere and the children, as well as Mike, Mrs. Agbahime’s husband, would be empowered to bear the loss.

    Police spokesman Musa Magaji Majia said the suspects in the murder cases were in detention, promising that justice will be served.

  • Protest in Iwo over chieftancy

    There was a protest at the palace of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale  Akanbi, Ilufemiloye Telu 1, yesterday  over the installation a candidate for the Aro chieftaincy title.

    Members of the  Aro Olukotun family in a protest carried a corpse of a man believed to be in support of a candidate not favoured to the Oluwo.The protesters accused the Oluwo of installing Moshood Paje, a candidate less qualified for the chieftaincy title, claiming that he was not from their compound.

    In a reaction, the Oluwo said that it was not the turn of the family protesting the installation because it produced the immediate past candidate for the chieftaincy position. Oba Akanbi added that rather than producing court injunction against the installation the family only brought an application, which he said he could not consider strong enough  to stop the installation.

    Police men were deployed to the scene to forestall break down of law and order in the town.  Meanwhile,  normalcy has returned to the town, even as Oluwo, Oba Akanbi, was said to have later addressed the protesters inside the palace.

  • Students berate Mimiko over planned anti-Buhari protest

    Students berate Mimiko over planned anti-Buhari protest

    The Ondo State chapter of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC), an arm of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has condemned the planned protest against the anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    JCC urged students to resist being coopted into the protest, which is said to be at the instance of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    Anthony Atolusi, JCC chairman, described the governor’s action as a plot to embarrass President Buhari and paint the Federal Government in bad light. He said Mimiko’s move would not boost the chances of the governor’s candidate in the coming governorship election in the state.

    Atolusi said: “The action of the governor to be planning a protest against the anti-corruption is only a plot to paint the Federal Government as incompetent, it is also a gimmick to boost the electoral chances of Governor Mimiko’s candidate in the governorship election in November.

    “Students, being leaders of tomorrow, have the responsibility of bringing sanity back to our society. We want to tell Mimiko and his party that Ondo JCC and youths believe in Buhari’s anti-corruption war. At the end, we believe money recovered will be used to create good jobs for all.”

    Anthony said the students’ body had started a sensitisation of students within the state not to be political tools for any politicians. He said JCC would not fold its hands and allow a few individuals to use the machinery of government to enrich themselves and their families at the expense of all citizens.

    He added: “Our commonwealth was plundered and shared in the bedroom of these people. They used funds meant for security and development of our country to purchase choice properties. Now they are asking some youths and students to come and carry placards in protest against anti-corruption war. We will not support such demonstration.

    “We are urging all students in Ondo State to resist any attempt to lure them to convene, mobilise and protest against the anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari. We will not be part of illegality.”