The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Thursday clarified why it met with the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying it did so as part of efforts to end the lingering strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU).
NANS said it took the decision, taking into consideration the influence Tinubu musters in APC-led government and within the ASUU ranks, adding that enlisting the former Lagos State governor’s support was deemed apposite and appropriate to save the education system.
The NANS’ National President, Sunday Asefon, explained this in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti yesterday.
Asefon was upbeat that Tinubu was passionate about intervening to end the protracted FG-ASUU feud to return students in public schools to schools with the way he spoke regarding the logjam.
He said: “In our continuous efforts in advocating for the end to the prolonged ASUU Strike, I led the national executives of NANS and stakeholders to meet with the Presidential Candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to harness his contacts to prevail on ASUU and FG to put an end to the protracted industrial action.
“It is our believe that no stone must be left unturned in ensuring that ASUU return to the classrooms. It wasn’t something political, but a step considered imperative to save our education system.
“We are still going to consult other critical stakeholders to intervene in this matter and save our country from imminent collapse, because the future of any country depends on the qualities of its graduates and its future leaders.
“We had fruitful engagements and Asiwaju, who passionately expressed concerns, commended the students leaders for their initiatives to engage in high level and seek political solution.
“He shared in our position that every reasonable Nigerian must be seriously concerned as the continuous strike poses a great danger to security and collective wellbeing of our nation.”
Asefon appealed to the students’ body to be hopeful that the current impasse will be resolved soon, saying: “Asiwaju had promised to immediately step up his interventions, even now that the President has opened the window for individual contributions to dialogues in pursuit of the end to the industrial action.
“Nigerian students expressed our deepest appreciation to Asiwaju for cutting short his very tight schedule and campaign activities to address our leadership and made strong commitment to end the strike.
“He also promised to continue to engage with us and youth organisations across the country to tap into our strength, ideas and creativities in the days ahead while ensuring that youth and students will form integral part of his programmes.”
Asefon assured that NANS under his leadership would leave no stone unturned to halt incessant ASUU Strike in Nigeria.
“We have reached a stage in this struggle where the end is more important to us than the means and as leaders we will not do less than our very best to ensure the end of this strike,” he added.