ASUU: ‘It Is Not Safe To Keep Youths Idle’- Osun Monarch Meets Protesting Students

The Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Makama Oyelude, has said, keeping youths idle is dangerous as they could be manipulated to engage in negative ventures.

The monarch who’s convoy ran into the roadblock mounted by National Association of Nigerian Students (NANs) on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to find a permanent solution to the crisis in the education sector especially the issue of frequent strike by lecturers in tertiary institutions.

He noted suggestions on how the problem of funding could be partly addressed have been proffered, saying he was in support of any solution that will not exclude students from indigent families from having access to quality tertiary education.

Oyelude shared photos on Facebook addressing the students protesting the seven-month old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU)

He commended them for being reasonable and for giving him the audience to talk to them as a father.

He urged them to open the road to ensure free flow of traffic and promised to take up the issue with the authorities concerned.

Oba Makama later wrote on his Facebook page: “Earlier today we ran into a massive protest by National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, on the lingering ASUU strike.

“Their massive protest grand traffic to a halt on the ever busy Lagos- Ibadan Expressway. As a father and natural ruler I had to lead other traditional rulers on my entourage to address the organisers of the protest so as to ameliorate the suffering of the commuters on the ever busy highway.”

The university lecturers had embarked on a national strike since February 14, 2022 over the Federal Government’s failure to implement its demands on salaries and allowances of lecturers; improved funding for universities as well as the adoption of UTAS against the government’s preferred payment platform — Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information which they said is fraught with corruption.