The leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone, has cautioned Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) over its plan to disrupt academic and non-academic activities at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State.
The union, led by Comrade Owolewa Taiwo, was quoted in a statement as saying that it would resist any attempt by SSANU to plunge the institution into crisis.
The leadership said the students’ body had resolved to do everything possible within the ambit of law to protect the interest of students of the institution.
The statement said: “As the authentic and legitimate voice of Nigerian students across the Southwest, we state without ambiguity that we will not fold our arms and watch any individual or group—whether union or non-union—plunge our institution into chaos or truncate the academic calendar that affects the future of over 50,000 students at FUOYE.
‘‘We are aware of the veiled threats by SSANU to mobilise its members across 26 universities in the Western Zone for an industrial action or protest at FUOYE.
“This is not a threat; this is a declaration of readiness to protect the academic future of Nigerian students.
“We remind SSANU that the last time they embarked on a disruptive protest and shut down operations on FUOYE campus, we suffered a painful and irreparable loss—a promising student died due to lack of access to emergency medical care after the University Health Centre was shut down by their action.
‘’We say never again. FUOYE or any of our institutions in the Southwest is not a battleground for political vendettas or union showdowns. Any attempt to use our campus to settle scores or create chaos will be met with legal, peaceful but unshakable resistance from the student body.
“We urge stakeholders to intervene, to ensure the peace and stability of FUOYE and other institutions are not compromised. We are committed to dialogue, justice and equity, but we will not allow the future of Nigerian students to be jeopardised by anyone hiding under the guise of unionism.
“We call on SSANU to pursue their grievances through the proper legal and administrative channels, rather than resorting to disruptive actions that may lead to further crisis.’’
