Roads leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airpot in Lagos have been blocked by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), protesting the months-long closure of universities due to the ASUU strike. 

In a continuation of a series of protests which began last week, NANS now extended the demonstration to disrupt traffic flow on roads leading to international airports across the country, beginning with Lagos. 

Akinteye Babatunde, the association’s vice president (external affairs), said airport roads were chosen because of their ability to disrupt the routine of the elites, one that the government seeks to protect. 

“We know the federal government values the elites more than we the poor citizens of this country, and this our action is going to affect majority of the elites and the integrity of the federal government,” he said. 

The students’ group began its demonstration last week with the disruption of the stakeholders meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo, asking the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to clarify his position on the strike and support the demonstrations.

NANS vowed to continue the protests until ASUU called off the strike. 

The association was joined by other groups and civil society organisations such as the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Socialist Workers and Youth League, and the Take-it-Back movement to protest the strike, which started in February. 

Following ASUU’s refusal to accept President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime’s offers, the APC regime sued the union at the National Industrial Court, praying the court to restrain the ASUU from further continuing the strike. 

The case was adjourned last week and will be heard later on Monday.