UI Students Calls For Resignation Of Minister of Education

As the strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU continues, more Nigerians, especially students, who are directly affected, have been speaking out on the rot in the country’s education sector.

Students of the University of Ibadan also joined in ‘speaking out’, yesterday, as they took their protest to the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, bemoaning the Federal Government’s alleged insensitivity to myriad of problems in education sector, and demanding change.

The angry students went on a peaceful protest to major streets in the city with various placards with inscriptions such as ‘Nigeria: Giant or Dwarf of Africa,’ ‘Education is dead in Nigeria,’ ‘Adieu to education sector in Nigeria,’ among others.

During the protest that lasted for hours, commercial activities in the ancient city were paralysed. Vehicular movements were also affected, as motorists going to places like Mokola and Dugbe areas of Ibadan, as well as Ilorin and other northern parts of the country were stuck in the gridlock caused by the protesting students.

Passengers, commuters, and even transporters had to trek long distances, with many cursing silently as they did.

The students among other requests called for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai.

The protest took place under the watchful eyes of Divisional Police Officer of Sango, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Akinfenwa, who ensured that hoodlums did not hijack it.

The SUG President of the school, Babatunde Badmus, in a communiqué read during the protest, complained about unnecessary establishment of more tertiary institutions in Nigeria while the available ones suffer neglect.

The students also called for modernisation of decayed facilities and obsolete style of teaching in tertiary institutions in Nigeria in the best interest of the future of the nation and Nigerians.

“While politicians like Chief Obafemi Awolowo spent so much on education our president today, is non-chalant to the extent that he takes pride in jetting out while pressing national issues that need his attention arise. Ruqayyatu Rufai should resign if she lacks the clue to the problem in the education sector.

“They take their children out of the country to private universities and cripple public universities in order to deprive the children of the masses right to education. We shall resist this attempt,” Badmus said.

source: www.mahmudtoyin.blogspot.com