Hundreds of commuters were on Tuesday stranded on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Abeokuta following a protest by universities students.
The students, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), South-West Zone, blocked the road to protest the ongoing one-month warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The students also protested against the current fuel scarcity in the country.
The students who gathered at the Redeemed Church axis as early as 8 a.m., blocked both sides of the highway, preventing traffic flow to and from Lagos.
The Chairman in Ogun, Mr. Damilola Simeon who spoke on behalf of the students, called on the Federal Government to meet the demands of ASUU, saying that the students were the most affected by the strike.
Simeon appealed to the government and the ASUU to return to a roundtable and find a lasting solution to the incessant strikes that had paralyzed academic activities in the nation’s universities.
“Our time is being wasted. Age will be against us by the time we graduate and go into the labour market.
“We will be forced to pay extra rents as most of us are staying in private hostels while some of our colleagues will be distracted, discouraged, and will probably jettison schooling for illegal activities,” he said.
He appealed to the government for more funding in tertiary institutions to ensure good working conditions for teaching and non-teaching staff.
On the scarcity of fuel, Simeon noted that it had a negative effect on the citizens, adding that the agencies concerned should do the needful as soon as possible to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.
The student leader urged the government to ensure the availability of fuel in the county and not to increase the pump price of the product.
