Press statement of Alliance of Nigeria Students Against NeoLiberal Attacks (ANSA), S/West
As a committed body of Nigerian students, we are appalled at the gruesome murder of no less than three students of Federal University of Technology Oye Ekiti State (FUOYE). These students who had joined their peers in protest against poor electricity supply were murdered in cold blood by a heavily armed police convoy attached to the wife of Ekiti state governor. We wish to condemn this callous act of maddening brutality on peaceful protesters and we demand that all perpetrators of this barbaric act must be immediately brought to book. As if that is not enough, men of the Nigerian police were also reported to have gone to the school hostels to shoot sporadically, intimidating and arresting innocent students a day after the protest. How long shall this horror continue?
Electricity crisis remains an unfortunate behemoth that have continuously kept the Nigerian people at the barricades over the past few years.
Despite the obvious ineptitude of the rapacious distribution company, this anti-poor government continues to subsidize them with tax-payers money. In conscious collaboration with government, the Discos continues to impose crazy/estimated bills on helpless and impoverished Nigerians. And despite all of this robbery against the Nigerian people, the nation remains in perpetual darkness, the masses languish in pains of dubious extortion while the Discos and their government collaborators continue to smile to the banks. Hence, the struggle of the students for improved electricity is just and for us in ANSA, we are prepared to join them alongside host of Nigerians Students in prosecuting this struggle to a logical conclusion.
On the Proscription of the FUOYE Union by the school management and forceful ejection of students from campus with Policemen reportedly shooting sporadically at the students Hostels , we want to educate the student public that this draconic action just like it happened on Nigerian top Institutions like University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University and others is inconsistent with the law and can not stand repugnancy test.
At this mournful hour, ANSA expresses sincere solidarity to the FUOYE student union and the family of the 3 deceased students and also assures the Union of our unshakable Solidarity in this unfortunate and unjust trial posed by the Government and School Management. We seize this moment to state that we will be actively part of this struggle until the Government provides basic amenities demanded by the Students and swiftly ensures that student union activities is not incriminated in the school
A luta Continua!
Signed:
Soneye Abdul-Azeez Lekan LAS
ANSA SouthWest Coordinator
