The police on Wednesday disrupted a
peaceful rally by members of Academic
Staff Union of University (ASUU),
University of Abuja Chapter, in
Gwagwalada, FCT. Dr Clement Chuks, ASUU Chairman,
Uniabuja chapter, said the rally was
organised to sensitise the public to the
level of decay of infrastructure in
Nigerian universities. The heavily armed policemen, fired
teargas on the demonstrating lecturers,
barricaded all entrances leading to the
university and prevented other members
from joining the rally. One of the lecturers was rushed to the
University Teaching Hospital for
treatment after he inhaled the teargas. Some of the lecturers carried placards
with inscriptions; “ ASUU is fighting for
the good future of Nigerian children and
the nation,’’ “Support ASUU to save
university education in Nigeria’’. “Implement 2009
agreement, we do not
want to teach under trees again,’’ “2009
agreement is the key for producing
quality graduates’’ among others. According to Chuks, the rally is also to
draw the attention of the public to the
Federal Government’s inability to address
critical issues surrounding the education
sector. Chuks stressed the need for the Federal
Government to inform Nigerians on the
true position of things regarding the
strike. “The essence of the protest is to
sensitise the public on government’s
inability to honour the 2009 agreement,
we will continue the struggle until the
government says yes to us, stopping our
salaries will not solve the problem. “Our demand is that our universities
should be made to compete with others
in the world,’’ he said. Chuks decried the action of the police in
the protest. Commenting on the rally, the Divisional
Police Officer, Gwagwalada, Mr Tony
Okon, said the presence of policemen at
the campus, was to protect innocent
citizen against hoodlums. “Shooting of teargas was to prevent
hoodlums from joining the protest so
that they do not take advantage of the
situation and cause any damage’’ Okon
said. (NAN)
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