ASUU Strike: Commercial Activities Paralised As Workers Protest In Oyo State

Workers in Oyo State, under the umbrella of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) joined their counterparts all over the country to protest against the refusal of the Federal government to accede to the demand of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has been on strike for the past six months.

ASUU and the Federal Government have been negotiating over the demands of the union, but the discussions have been deadlocked, which led to the closure of all public univesitìes in the country.

As the strike continued and the government also adamant, the NLC which frowned at the attitude of the government, had warned that it would join ASUU to force the government to honour its various agreements with the union so that students could resume schools.

The NLC however, fulfilled its promise today by commencing a two-day protest action in the 36 states of the federation.

The Oyo State Workers kicked off their protest at the NLC Seretariat in Ibadan, the state capital and the workers displayed placards, accusing the government of not being sensitive to the plights of ordinary people, particularly parents, whose wards are wasting away at home due to the closures of the universities.

The protest paralised commercial activities across Ibadan metropolis from the early hours of Tuesday July 26, 2022, as workers moved about and the residents kept indoors.

Traders also shut their doors to customers as they were not sure of what would be the reaction of the security agencies towards the action of the wor?ers, though it was a peaceful protest.

Some of the traders at Mokola, Dugbe, Gate, Molete, Oke Ado, Agbeni and others did not open their doors over fear that hoodlums could hijack the protest and use the opportunity to loot.

Some of the unions and associations that were part of the protest included members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), NUPENG, JUSUN, SSANU and NASU.

The protest, the NLC said, is also an opportunity for the workers to bring the attention of the government and other relevant agencies to several other issues affecting the nation.

Scores of protesters who stormed the streets, carried placards with several inscriptions that called on the relevant agencies to attend to their demands.

ASUU has been at loggerheads with the Federal Government since February 14, 2022 over the latter’s failure to honour some past agreements, among others.

-Kunle Bakare.