Adibe Emenyonu
As students’ protests across the country against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)’s strike continue, the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has taken to the streets, shutting down the Federal Secretariat in Benin City.
On Monday, the students stormed the Aduwawa area, where the secretariat is located, and told the workers to take the day off.
“We have told the workers that today is a free day for them because they can’t be working while we are out of our classes. All the Federal offices would be shut down,” said UNIBEN’s Students’ Union Government President Foster Amadin. “We have also written to INEC to let them know that elections will not take place in Edo until we return to our classes.
The students, who also cooked at the secretariat, said they had resolved to shut federal government offices in the state to press home their demand to resolve the ASUU crisis.
Amadin accused the government of unseriousness regarding the crisis.
“Education has been taken to an unserious level, and the federal government is busy with the election, forgetting that there are many students at home due to the ASUU strike. We are appealing to those concerned to step in and find a solution,” stated Amadin. “We are here today. We have protested at the Airport, Ring Road and the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) office. We will keep going round until they find a solution, and we go back to our classes.”
He added, “Since we are not attending classes, we will look for places to play and show our grievances instead of staying at home and becoming the devil’s workshop.”
