Motorists and commuters traveling along the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway corridor were on Wednesday, stranded following the protest embarked upon by Nigerian students in solidarity with the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The students, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian (NANS) had in their hundreds, stormed the expressway, barricaded the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, chanting the “aluta” solidarity songs and condemning the Federal Government actions towards the ongoing strike.
Led by the chairman of the Ogun State chapter of NANS, Simeon Kehinde Damilola, the students converged at the Redeem Camp axis of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and blocked both sides of the road, thereby preventing traffic flow on both sides of the expressway.
The development paralysed commercial activities in the axis, while hundreds of travellers also experienced traffic difficulties when they were trapped in the traffic gridlock that brought vehicular movement to a halt spanning over 6-kilometers, particularly at the Sagamu Interchange stretch of the expressway.
Speaking on behalf of the students, Simeon described the President Muhammadu Buhari – led administration as a “failed government” and declared their support for ASUU.
“We have started a major action today on ASUU Strike. There is no point arguing about who is at fault or what is to be done. It is very clear that the rulers underfund education and the Buhari government is failing in its promises to revamp education.
“As it is today, no higher institution in Nigeria is world class! Yet, our so-called public servants travel all over the world spending billions to send their kids abroad for studies.
“As major stakeholders in the educational sector, we are the ones who can save ourselves. Our lecturers suffer the same hardships and mal-developments we suffer”, Simeon said.