Undone by their demonstration on
Thursday, 14th of July, 216, which brought socio-economic activities in
Lokoja, the Kogi stste capital to its knees, students of Kogi State
University have threatened to return on Wednesday, next week for further
demonstrations unless their demands are met before then.
Speaking in an exclusive interview
with our reporter, President of the institution’s Students Union,
Comrade Philip Omepa said they are ready to do anything, even if it
means laying down their lives to ensure the return of the students to
campus.
Omepa, who frowned at insinuation in
some quarters that they were being sponsored by politicians with vested
interest, appealed to the political elites to desist from politicising
the students’ legitimate demands.
He said all him and his colleagues
want was for Kogi State University to resume and allow activities to
pick up, saying that the lingering face off has clogged in the Students’
academic progress.
The students’ union leader, while
reiterating the resolve of himself and his colleagues to conduct
themselves within the armpits of the law, he praised the solidarity
shown by students of the institution and other higher institutions
towards seeing to an end to the matter.
While also expressing gratitude to
the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS),
the local chapter of the National Association of Kogi State Students
(NAKOSS), members of the media and the entire people of the state for
the support they enjoy, he stressed that they would not rest until the
matter reaches logical conclusion.
He expressed hope that the resolve
of various stakeholders would galvanize government and Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU), Kogi state university chapter, to make
compromise towards ending the lingering crisis in the university.
It would be recalled that the
academic staff union in the institution, over three months ago, embarked
on a “No Pay No Work” exercise over backlog of arrears owed them by
government leading disruption of academic calendar and halt to academic
activities.
Credit: Yabagionline
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