No less than hundreds of commuters were on Tuesday stranded at the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Abeokuta following a protest by universities students.
The students, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South-West Zone, blocked the road to protest the ongoing one month warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the current fuel scarcity across the country.
The students who gathered at the Redeemed Church axis as early as 8:00 a.m., blocked both sides of the highway, preventing traffic flow to and from Lagos.
NANS chairman in Ogun, Damilola Simeon, who spoke on behalf of the students, called on the federal government to meet ASUU’s demands, saying that the students were the most affected by the strike.
Mr Simeon appealed to the government and ASUU to return to the roundtable and find a lasting solution to the incessant strikes that had paralysed academic activities in the nation’s universities.
“Our time is being wasted. Age will be against us by the time we graduate and go into the labour market.
“We will be forced to pay extra rents as most of us are staying in private hostels while some of our colleagues will be distracted, discouraged and will probably jettison schooling for illegal activities,” he said.
He appealed to government for more funding in tertiary institutions to ensure good working condition for teaching and non teaching staff.
On scarcity of fuel, Mr Simeon noted that it had negative effect on the citizens, adding that the agencies concerned should do the needful as soon as possible to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.
The student leader urged government to ensure availability of fuel in county and not to increase the pump price of the product.