THE apex body of students in Nigeria, the National Association of Nigerian Students, Ebonyi State chapter, has called on the Federal Government to reopen all tertiary institutions across the country to allow students commence academic activities.
The students’ body, at a press conference held at Ebonyi State University, College of Agriculture Science Campus, wondered why government would open other sectors and leave students to involve themselves in social vices due to idleness.
The press conference was chaired by Comrade Olisa Nwuruku, Director of Special Duties, NANS Zone B (South-South and South-East).
The students argued that since JSS3 and SS3 students, who were their younger ones, could appropriately abide by the National Centre for Disease Control and Federal Government’s COVID-19 precautionary measures, there was no need keeping the undergraduates at home and disrupting their educational calendar unnecessarily.
They, however, threatened to launch a nationwide students protest after the 14 days ultimatum given to government to address their concerns and those of the lecturers in all higher institutions of learning.
Their statement said, “This piece is the translation of the depressed voices of Ebonyi State students and by extension, Nigerian students, who have for over seven months now been displaced from their classrooms due to the fallout of the pandemic. While other nations stood in support of their people, Nigeria has made it a feast of excuses, and in all these, the students’ community has suffered the most.
“This piece does not seek to discredit the conscientious efforts of the president and his team, who have taken commendable steps to fight this scourge, but to bring to their notice that there are certain areas they have not gotten it right, especially as it concerns the non-resumption of our schools. The government has shown in their actions that education is not one of their priorities and, being stakeholders in the Nigerian project, we see this as our responsibility to posterity to speak up.”
The NANS representatives said they were aware of the deadly nature of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the guidelines of the World Health Organisation, but noted that the Federal Government seemed not to be in any hurry to put those measures in place when many other African countries had done so and opened their schools.
They said, “What we don’t understand is why the government is not worried that by this coldness on their part, we are about to lose a generation. Furthermore, we are aware that our learning centres are centres of civilisation, dominated by a large number of people of high intelligence and the home of research and innovation, so we don’t see why our higher institutions should be closed in this period of a national emergency whose solution is supposed to be birthed by them.
“Once we silence the expert, we empower the charlatans. The purpose of education is for a society to train those who will help it solve its problems. In a time of great troubles, the actions of a people show where it expects salvation from: the markets are open, the churches are open, the mosques are open, everything else is opened, but our schools are closed.
“We cannot hold our peace anymore, our collective silence is an indictment. We are not downplaying the possibility of spread of this pandemic should our schools be opened, but like all institutions in the world, modalities should be put in place to forestall such spread. The alternative is to pause our lives forever and no one who is sane will be pleased with that alternative, let alone would the Nigerian students.”
