University students drawn mainly from the university of Benin (UNIBEN) and Ambrose Alli University, (AAU) Ekpoma took to the main streets of Benin again Monday to kicked against the decision of striking university teachers to extend their strike by another three months.
The protesters who sang solidarity songs as they marched vowed to disrupt the forthcoming election if their teachers’ grievances are not met.
Armed with banners with different inscriptions such as “No Education, No Election”, “Education is a Fundamental Human Rights”, amongst others, the students marched through the major streets of the Edo State capital.
The peaceful march by the students who tagged themselves University of Street led to a vehicular hold up on the adjourning streets in downtown Benin through out the duration of the protest.
Accompanied by the divisional police officers in charge of Oba Market and Aideyan Police Stations, the students who were at the Secretariat of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) came with a pop corn machine which they used to make popcorn and distribute among themselves.
Visibly angry, the Students Union President of UNIBEN, Comrade Foster Amadin lamented that the prolonged strike by the university teachers has made them stayed in their various institutions of learning more than necessary.
In line with the adage which holds that when two elephants fight the grasses suffer, Amadin insisted they as students who are supposed to be the proverbial grasses refused to be intimidated.
He wailed: “The truth is, we are not for ASUU. We are not fighting against anybody. All we know and all we want is to go back to classes. Most of us are nearing our 30’s because of the continued stay at home.
“We are afraid that we will not serve and also, our job prospects are dwindling as we will be over aged by the time we graduate.”
