Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore; President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke; President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba; and others were present in Abuja as the NLC continued its ASUU solidarity protest on Wednesday.
PUNCH Metro had reported the unions defied warnings by the Federal Government and took to the streets of major cities in the country on Tuesday to protest against the failure of the Federal Government to resolve the five-month strike by ASUU
Specifically, the NLC said the money the two major political parties – the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party – generated from the sale of forms to aspirants could address ASUU’s demands.
The university lecturers shut down public institutions on February 14 over the inability of the Federal Government to implement the agreements it made with ASUU in 2009 as well as the refusal of the current administration to exempt lecturers from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.
ASUU had also asked the government to increase funding of tertiary institutions and pay outstanding allowances.
But on Wednesday, the protesters converged at the Unity Fountain and continued with the two-day protest in Abuja over the prolonged strike by university workers across the country.
This comes a day after a similar demonstration was held in various states of the Federation, except for the Federal Capital Territory.
The protest began at about 9:30 am after members of the NLC leadership and leaders of various affiliated unions, as well as members converged on the Unity Fountain in the nation’s capital. There was heavy security at the venue of the protest.
