Telecom tariff hike: NANS rejects planned NLC protest

The National Association of Nigerian Students’ (NANS) has dissociated students from the planned protest by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over the recent telecom tariff hike approved by the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).

The National Vice President of the association, Comrade Mu’azu Hina, stated this while addressing newsmen at the weekend in Gombe.

The labour union had fixed the protest for February 4.

He said NANS is committed to advocating for the welfare and interests of Nigerian students but can not participate in a protest that may not directly benefit its members.

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“Our primary focus is on addressing the myriad challenges facing students in Nigeria, including poor funding of education, inadequate infrastructure, and insecurity.

“Therefore, we can not be part of a protest that may not directly benefit our members. Furthermore, we are concerned that the NLC protest may not be well-thought-out and may not achieve its intended objectives,” Hina stated.

He, however, drew the attention of the federal government to the deplorable state of roads in the north east sub-region, “particularly the Gombe-Numan-Yola Road, which has claimed several lives, including those of students.”

Comrade Hina stated that the problem affects the lives of his members and urged the federal government to take immediate action to repair the roads to ensure the safety of students and other road users.

According to him, the deplorable state of the roads is making it difficult for people to access basic services, including education and healthcare.

The The President of NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero has directed its affiliate unions and the state chapters to mobilise all their members across 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to a nationwide protest scheduled for February 4.