Yemi Obafemi
Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has condemned police brutality against protesters during the #Endbadgovernance protest, describing it as barbaric and undemocratic.
SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, disclosed this in a communiqué issued at the end of its 49th National Executive Council, NEC, meeting, in Abuja.
He said :“There is nowhere in the world, especially in a democratic setting where government, through its agencies stop genuine and peaceful protest by its citizenry, especially when it is obvious that there is hardship in the land occasioned by bad governance.
“A case in question is the manner the Nigerian Police treated members of Joint Action Committee, JAC, of SSANU and NASU during their peaceful protest in Abuja, where they were harassed and intimidated from their point of convergence at the Unity Fountain.
“NEC in session also condemns in strong terms, the unwarranted arrest and even killing of peaceful protesters who were protesting against bad governance in the country. It frowned at the way the Nigeria law enforcement agencies, especially the Police brutalized protesters, even after obtaining permission from the same Police authority.
“NEC warned the various law enforcement agencies, especially the police to desist from such barbaric and anti-democratic practices and perform their work with professionalism so as not to add to the already tensed atmosphere in the country.”
The association also urged the Federal Government to release the earned allowances of its members, as N50 billion was allocated for this purpose in the 2023 budget.
Additionally, SSANU has joined other stakeholders in the education sector in criticizing the government’s decision to raise the minimum age for admission to tertiary institutions to 18, starting from 2025.
SSANU said: “NEC in session lend her voice to critical stakeholders in the education sector in condemning the decision of the Federal Government to peg the age at which students can write the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), and gaining admission into tertiary institutions at 18.
“Generality of stakeholders believe that this policy would drag the education sector back. While reacting to the comment by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman Tahir, that from 2025 any candidate who is not up to 18 years would not be allowed to write SSCE and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Examination Board (JAMB), urged Government to consult widely as it has promised on this critical matter to avert crisis in the sector.”
