THE National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr. Lucky Emonefe, says Nigerian students are not ready to compromise academic calendars of educational institutions for the ongoing national protest.
Emonefe said this in Abuja at a town hall meeting organised for youths, students and members of the Civil Society Organisation to interface ahead of the Aug. 1 planned protest.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the town hall meeting was convened by NANS in collaboration with the Chairman of Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments, Mr. Osahon Okunbo.
Emonefe called on students and youths in the country to be law abiding and resist any call for protest.
“We are not interested in anything that will obstruct our current academic calendar, we want to continue with our studies because our academic pursuit is very important to us.
“Coming out to demonstrate is not the way to go because it can be hijacked and public peace will be disrupted and properties destroyed.
“In spite of the fact that we did not agree with those calling for demonstration, we are very hungry, times are hard and there are hash economic policies.
“We believe that we can engage government positively through dialogue, we are calling on government to look at some of the policies and address them,” he said.
The NANS president commended the convener of the town hall meeting for the initiative, adding that it was a way for youths in the country to express their grievances.
In his remark, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Matters, Mr. Sunday Ashefon, called on youths and students in the country to shun the Aug. 1 planned protest.
He said that the coming together of students and youths in the meeting showed that youths were interested in the efforts of the Federal Government to ease the hardship in the country.
“It shows that they are ready to hear what the government of President Bola Tinubu has done in the last one year and two months of his government.
“I am here to let the youth know what the government is doing and what it has in stock for them.
“My appeal to them is to shun the protest that they do not known the organisers, a protest that is faceless and a protest that will lead them stray,” he said.
The presidential aide said majority of those calling for the protest were not resident in the country but donating money to fund crisis in the country.
According to him, the current economic crisis is not exclusive to Nigeria, it is a global problem that need collective attention. (NAN)
