The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone D on Monday threatened to shut down major agencies of the government if the crisis between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government continued.

“We are planning to block government organisations that generate money for them if the ASUU issue is not resolved.

“We have been protesting on this issue by occupying major roads in the South-West, but we believe if we ground airports, the government will do something about the strike,” NANS South-West Zone coordinator, Adegboye Olatunji, said.

He spoke in Abuja at a protest to the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat in solidarity with Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun to run for a second term.

Mr Olatunji said that it was time both parties came together to resolve the issues leading to the strike as students were at the receiving end.

He said that the student body had dissociated itself from Mr Abiodun’s prosecution and disqualification from contesting the 2023 elections.

“Their call for prosecution and disqualification of Gov. Abiodun from running for second time in office through their petition to the EFCC copied to the National Chairman of the APC is nothing but ruse that cannot stand the test of time,” he said.

Mr Olatunji, however, said that the student body passed a vote of confidence in the governor for his commitment and sacrifices toward education development in the state.

Also speaking on the alleged N80 billion fraud by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC) chairman, Damilola Kehinde, said it was a slap on the integrity of the country when students were at home due to the ASUU strike.

“We have been at the forefront of the ASUU struggle ever since it commenced. We have shut down most of the federal roads in the South-West, agitating that the federal government listen to the plight of ASUU.

“If government officials or politicians can upgrade themselves every three months, spending billions of naira for wardrobe allowances, I don’t think it is wrong also to equip our academics.

“What ASUU is clamouring for is not up to what a single person is embezzling. I think it is high time the government has to rise by using some of these persons as a deterrent to others,” he said.

(NAN)