The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned the approach of the Federal Government to addressing the crisis rocking tertiary institutions in Nigeria over failure to implement agreements reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other related unions to improve their working conditions.
CAPPA also took a swipe at security agents for the shooting of protesting students at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State.
In a press release issued by CAPPA, it was noted that, “Media reports and videos show military men invaded the protest ground shooting sporadically, and injuring unarmed student-protestors who had occupied the Ilesa-Akure expressway to express displeasure over the indefinite shutdown of public universities in the country for three months now.
” In the last two weeks, students of various universities in the country have embarked on peaceful protests, particularly in Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Edo, and Ondo States, to demand an end to the debilitating strike so they can resume classes.”
CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said, ”The actions of the Nigerian soldiers in Akure are utterly reprehensible and constitute another serious attack on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly in this country. ”
Akinbode noted that the travails of students under the current administration ought to draw outrage from Nigerians, even as he added that “by now, all people of conscience should be sufficiently displeased and act in solidarity with the students. Nigerian army and police are duty-bound to protect people from harm.”
Berating the security agencies, he said that the Nigerian army and police are duty-bound to protect people from harm, not the other way round.
CAPPA thereafter urged security agencies to refrain from using force against protesters.