On Wednesday in Abuja, the Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliated unions carried on their show of support for the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ five-month strike.
Leading the Day 2 protest in Abuja in support of ASUU are the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, and the African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, among others.
As said by InsightnaijaTV, the unions disregarded government warnings and protested in the streets of the nation’s major cities on Tuesday over the federal government’s inability to end the five-month ASUU strike.
The NLC stated specifically that the demands of ASUU could be met with the funds the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, received through the sale of forms to candidates.
Due to the Federal Government’s incapacity to carry out the agreements it reached with ASUU in 2009 and the present administration’s refusal to exempt teachers from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, university lecturers shut down public institutions on February 14.
ASUU had also requested that the government improve tertiary institution funding and pay back arrears on allowances.
However, on Wednesday, the protestors gathered at the Unity Fountain and continued their two-day demonstration in Abuja in opposition to the country-wide protracted university workers’ strike.
This comes after a day in which comparable protests were held throughout the Federation’s states, with the exception of the Federal Capital Territory.
Members of the NLC leadership, representatives from several affiliated unions, and protesters gathered at the Unity Fountain in the nation’s capital at around 9:30 am.
Wabba, Sowore, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, the current president of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, and other individuals were present in person.
At the demonstration site, InsightnaijaTV noticed a significant security presence that included members of the Nigerian Police, DSS, and NSCDC, among others.
According to information obtained by our correspondent, the demonstrators intended to march down to the National Assembly, where the NLC president will address MPs on behalf of the labour unions.
