…Union mobilises students for peaceful demonstration
The Students’ Union of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), has relocated its secretariat to Akure, the Ondo State capital, as part of efforts to seek a lasting resolution to the ongoing industrial action at the institution.
The union, in a statement issued on Monday, said the strike had persisted for over 40 days, leaving students at home and disrupting academic activities.
According to the statement signed by the Students’ Union Secretariat, the union had engaged in several discussions, consultations and meetings with relevant stakeholders in an attempt to resolve the crisis, but the efforts had yet to yield the desired result.
The students’ body consequently announced plans to organise a peaceful walk, demonstration and protest in Akure to draw the attention of the Ondo State Government and other relevant authorities to the plight of AAUA students.
The union said the protest was intended to be a peaceful expression of the students’ grievances and an appeal for urgent intervention to end the industrial action.
“We have been at home for long enough. Our education cannot continue to be placed on hold. Our academic calendar cannot remain suspended indefinitely,” the union stated.
It stressed that the demonstration was not intended to promote violence or disorder, but to enable students present their demands responsibly and urge the government and other stakeholders to take decisive steps towards resolving the impasse.
The Students’ Union disclosed that a bus would be made available to convey interested students from the university to Akure for the protest.
It also appealed to individuals, groups and members of the university community with access to buses or other suitable means of transportation to assist in conveying students to the state capital.
The union urged students participating in the demonstration to conduct themselves with discipline and respect for constituted authorities, stressing that the objective was to secure the reopening of classrooms and restoration of academic activities.
It said the students’ demands remained clear: the immediate resolution of the issues surrounding the industrial action and the return of students to their classrooms.
“AAUA MUST BE REPRESENTED. ONE VOICE. ONE STRUGGLE. ONE DESTINATION,” the union declared.
The statement ended with the students’ movement slogan, “Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta.”
