…Say No Retreat, No Surrender
…As Air Travellers, Workers, Others Trek Long Distance To Destination
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) today barricaded the Airport Road a major entry and exit point to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminal in Lagos, protesting the seven-month old strike and the failure of the Federal Government to honour the agreement it signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The students, who defied the heavy downpour, used their vehicles to barricade the road to prevent both inbound and outbound motorists from driving in going into or coming out of the airport, a situation that resulted in heavy traffic gridlock.
The students who started the blockade from the Ajao to Hajj Camp area at about 7 am in the morning, displayed placards with various inscriptions such as, “Adamu Must Go! , You are spending N100 million to buy form yet we cannot fund education, FG honour the agreements you signed with ASUU and Mallam Adamu Adamu Resign Now.”
As a result of the siege laid at the Ajo area of the Airport Road, there was a traffic jam in that corridor which later spilled over to the Ikeja end of the road.
This forced both passengers and airport workers to trek to their destinations.
While some passengers were seen carrying their luggage on their heads to ensure they don’t miss their flights airport workers were seen trekking in twos and threes discussing the issue as they trek on.
The absence of commercial motorcycle operators popularly called Okada further compounded the problem of the air travellers, airport workers and users following the ban imposed on them by the Lagos State Government.
The spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development and also added that police officers have been deployed to the scene to maintain law and order.
Also speaking, the NANS Public Relations Officer(PRO), Giwa Temitope, who, equally confirmed that the students have blocked the road protesting their continued stay at home due to the failure of the Federal Government to honour its own part of the agreement signed with ASUU said that policemen have been deployed to the area.
According to him, “They are here to protect us. Nobody has been harassed, but we are not relenting. We on our own have been peaceful in our conduct. No retreat, no surrender”, ” We are matching on.”
Recalled that NANS executives had threatened to ground activities at international airports across the country if the Federal Government does not resolve the lingering strike
The Chairman, NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Ojo Raymond Olumide, while speaking to journalists said that NANS was tired of pleading with both parties over the need to end the strike hence these actions.
Olumide said categorically that airports will be occupied until the strike is called off, and that President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration must pay all outstanding arrears and salaries of the lecturers.
In his words, “We shall begin another round of protest next week by storming the airspaces to #OccupyTheAirports. We want to let the world know about the pains and anguish students are going through.”
He added that students cannot continue to stay at home while the Federal Government keeps on pretending as if all is well.
