The Students Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has threatened to shut down the National Assembly, major highways and airports in the 19 northern states and Abuja to protest the government’s handling of the demands of the academic and non-academic staff unions which has grounded university education in the country for months.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Kano, its national coordinator, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, said the “protracted closure of our Universities and Colleges of Education has exposed the children of the poor to violence and exploitation with early marriages, more idle minds recruited into militias, sexual exploitation of girls and young women, teenage pregnancies, and child labour, already becoming more common.”
The coalition condemned “the levity and condescension with which the Federal Government is approaching the indefinite closure of universities and associated Institutions, especially with the recent shameless admission by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed that the complexities of the situation are beyond comprehension.”
In view of this, the coalition said it has resolved among others to mobilize all its 19 Northern states chapters to collaborate with other students and parents and civil society organisations to petition traditional and religious leaders as well as security agencies in these states on its worries and line of action.
“As a last option, in case of failure of these decent moves to yield positive results and ensure the reopening of Universities, we shall mobilize students and parents to massive zonal protests that would entail the shutting down of activities in all states and national assemblies, all political party offices and all major highways, airways and railways,” it said.
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