NANS protests in Abuja, Umuahia, demands increase in education funding

In a bid to demand increased funding for education in Nigeria, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), on Monday, embarked on a protest to press home its demand.

Addressing journalists during the protest which was titled “Save education rally,” NANS President, Bamidele Akpan, who led the students in the protest, lamented the apathy displayed by the Federal Government towards education in the country as can be seen in the dwindling allocation of funding in the sector.

The students in the protest which was supported by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) accused government of insincerity on issues that concern education, which has resulted to periodic industrial action that had disrupted academic calendar and affected quality of education.

They said they have had enough of excuses about poor educational and infrastructural facilities in the university and they would no longer fold their hands and watch the political class to ruin the academic lives of Nigerians via corruption and poor administration.

According to the students, budgetary provisions over the years has not shown the seriousness that education sector requires.

They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the 2018 budget and increase the education budget to 26 percent as requested by UNESCO.

The students in addition to their request suggested a disbandment of Dr. Wale Babalakin-led Federal Government renegotiation committee on 2009 ASUU/Government agreement, alleging that the committee was interpreting a written script.

“We have lost confidence in the Babalakin-led committee. We suggested its disbandment and assemblage of people with credibility and integrity to renegotiate the agreement.

“And we must insist that students are well represented in the new team. We believe that it is only way that we could discuss issues of education in Nigeria and achieve great results”, Akpan said.

On his part, the NLC Director of International Relations and Nation Assembly Liaison Officer, Uche Ekwe, who led other NLC officials, said the support has become imperative following the need to rescue Nigeria’s education system.

Meanwhile, the Director, General Services in the Federal Ministry of Education, Arthur Onyeachu, while addressing the protesting students on behalf of the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, assured them that their grievances will be addressed.

The protest which started at about 9:30am at the Unity Fountain in Abuja disrupted movement of motorists and commuters whose offices are around the locations were forced to take alternative routes to connect to their offices.

Also, the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) Zone B, on Monday, took to the streets in Umuahia protesting Federal Government inactions in education sector, stating that they will use their Permanent Voters Card to react should the government ignore them.

The students, who also went to Abia State House of Assembly to drive home their demand, while brandishing placards, some which read “Nigeria students say no to school fees increment”, “Don’t mortgage our futures”, “Government, don’t commercialise education”, and “save education, save the future”.

Addressing newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat, Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the students led by Comrade Cookey Nwachukwu, the Zonal Representative of NANS Zone B, lamented that the Federal Government is neglecting UNESCO 40% budgetary provision for education,

regretting that in Nigeria, the Federal Government is not adhering to that. He noted also that “soon they will tell us that they are going to do election and that they have given money to INEC, whereas they have no budgetary allocation to education sector”.

“The UNESCO recommended 40% allocation to education sector, but in Nigeria, it is only 3%, while at the same time, education is bastardised, our educational infrastructure are decayed and no attention is being given to our schools.

“So, what we are telling the Federal Government is that they are telling us that we are the leaders of tomorrow, but we have not seen anything on that. If we are the leaders of tomorrow, what they will do is that our paramount interest, our plight is being sorted out, but currently, they don’t do so.

“How can we go to school when they don’t pay our lecturers; how can we go to school when school infrastructures are not there?

“At the same time, we want the Federal Government as a matter of urgency to please, address this issue of insecurity in Nigeria. Most of our fellow students in the north are not in school because of Boko Haram.

“We want to ask the Federal Government to please address the security challenges because it is affecting students. It is only in this state that you can see us doing this kind of thing because of fear of the unknown and they cannot gather or look for their rights.

“Nigerian students are not happy about what is happening because, they will push us to the wall and we will have no option than to issue a press release where there will be no election in 2019 until there is freedom in education sector,

until infrastructure decay in education is ratified, until Nigerian students enjoy the benefit of education and education goes back to the way it was in 1960s.

Speaking on the use of PVCs during the forthcoming general elections, the students said they are not under any party, appreciating the efforts of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Joseph Iloh in carrying the PVC exercise to schools in Abia State, adding “come 2019, we will do the needful”.