| A student hold carries a placard during a protest in Oyo State on May 16, 2022. |
Members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Monday blocked major roads in some cities in Oyo, Edo, and Ondo States.
This was done in protest against the prolonged industrial action by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as a result of several failed negotiations with the Federal Government.
While protesting students of the University of Ibadan blocked the school’s entrance in the state capital, those from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) barricaded the major road along where the institution is situated in Ogbomoso.
The students also called on the state governor, Seyi Makinde, to ensure public universities in the state back out of ASUU just as it was done in some states for academic activities to resume.
| Students stage a protest in Oyo State on May 16, 2022. |
LAUTECH, according to them, has been through a series of industrial crises in the past and should not be made to face more hardship.
As the protest continued in Ogbomoso, the South West wing of NANS vowed to shut down the Iwo Road end of Ibadan.
In Edo, students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) cordoned off the Benin-Auchi-Ramat Park axis of the state capital.
| Students block a major road during a protest in Benin City, Edo State capital on May 16, 2022. |
They later proceeded to the Federal Secretariat in Benin City to present their case to the government, where they breached the gate.
At the secretariat, they were received by the director, Jeremiah Abu, whom they told to take their displeasure with the prolonged strike to the government.
Abu, in his remark, assured the students of his support and to act accordingly. He, however, asked them to let their conduct remain peaceful.
| Students stage a protest in Benin City, Edo State capital on May 16, 2022. |
In Ondo, students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) barricaded the Akure-Ilesa Highway to condemn the lingering strike by the lecturers.
The demonstrations came a week after NANS leadership declared a mass action tagged ‘Operation Test Run’ in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It had directed all its structures and organs to block all federal roads in protest against the continued shutdown of public universities in the country since February.