Tertiary institutions students protest continuous closure of schools

Students of tertiary institutions on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 urged the Federal Government (FG) to reopen schools that were shut down as part of efforts to curtail further spread of the Coronavirus.

The students made the call during a peaceful protest they had in Abuja. The protest was held at the Unity Fountain and the Ministry of Education, both in the Federal Capital Territory.

Ejigah Felix, president of the National Association of University Students, stated that schools have been closed for a long time, adding that, it was not right for the schools to remain closed while the grounds for political campaigns are allowed.

“How do you close our universities, polytechnics and other academic institutions and you are telling people that you want to stop the virus? Our demands are that our schools should be reopened.

“Every time that government has issue with ASUU, it is the students that are at the receiving end. Everybody who is in school for a four-year programme ends up spending six or more years.

“We want the government to stop putting our generation at risk. Students are about wasting one year at home and this is not good for the Nigerian students,” he lamented.

Mr Ejigah advised that the same guidelines put in place for the reopening of markets and worship centres should be put in place in schools.