The National Association of Nigerian Students Ghana chapter has joined other well meaning Nigerians to condemn the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) industrial action even as it calls on the Federal Government to yield to the Union demands so that Universities can reopen in Nigeria.
The university staffs had embarked on strike to demand among other things welfare package as well as good learning environment for the students.
In emergency meeting convoked by the president of NANS Ghana , Comrade Onyebuchi Shedrack Akukwe and attended by the Speaker of NANS-GH’s GA Comrade, Grace Brown.
Others in attendance includes: Comrade Fatai Quadri, Vice President; Oluwasegun Oyebanji, Secretary General; Comrade Onyebuchi, Jethro Monye, Ass. General Secretary; Comrade Faith Edem, Welfare officer; Comrade Onyebuchi Munachi Ngwu, PRO; Comrade Onyebuchi Joshua Erondu, Director of Programs; Comrade Onyebuchi Christiana Adams, Fin sec and Chidimma Ezeokeke,Chief Justice, Justice Freddrick Ejovwo among others, the group said as sign of solidarity, it calls on the Federal government to do all it can to end the strike so that University students in Nigeria could return to school.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the NANS Ghana president, Comrade Akukwe said the strike was among the reasons why over 20,000 Nigeria students are studying in Ghana.
In a strong message, Comrade Akukwe said: “It is disturbing that every now and then, academic calendars are distrupted in Nigeria due to incessant strike. These ugly development has forced many Nigerian youths who could not afford high cost of Private universities to seek alternative Higher Institution abroad.
Here in Ghana, over 20,000 of us are here and we pay as much as 1,000 US Dollars per semester. This multiplied by number of students here amounts to great economic loss to Nigeria.
“We left home to study abroad not because we hate Nigeria but because we want to complete our education at the proper time and pursue our career in life.”
Further more, Comrade Akukwe laments that shutting of universities in Nigeria due to strike has forced many Youths into wrong hands as some of them has become tools in the hands of criminals thus fueling insecurity in the country.”
On the parts of the lecturers, the strike has forced many of them to seek alternative jobs abroad. This has resulted in serious brain drain in Nigeria.
” In solidarity with our collegues in Nigeria, we shall not hesitate to carry out peaceful protest in support of their goals if the strike is not called off immediately.”, it says.
NANs Ghana is umbrella body of Nigerian students in Ghana and has over 20,000 members.