University Lecturers Join Kano Protests

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Bayero University chapter in Kano State has joined the hundreds of students protesting the fuel subsidy increase on Thursday.

The ASUU members, who are also lecturers, joined their students and other people yesterday, at the Silver Jubilee roundabout to protest the removal of subsidy on petrol.
Also, the All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) Kano State chapters has berated the Nigerian Police over its alleged brutality and intimidation on Nigerians in expressing their displeasure over the removal of fuel subsidy.


Members of the ASUU and protesting students numbered to over 30,000 carried different placards and gathered at Silver jubilee roundabout, and later proceed to Audu Bako way and also stopped by the police when the attempt to pass through the Bompai police Headquarter in the state.

Chairman of the ASUU branch of the BUK, Dr. Mahmud Lawan, said they decided to join the protests to express their displeasure over Federal government ill-timed fuel subsidy removal. Mahmud explained that government is totally insincere over the issue because as the increase will not augur well to the plight of the people in the country, stressing that: “We will also join the NLC/TUC propose mass strike on Monday, ensure that the FG will reverse its decision over the fuel subsidy.”

According to him, “Our protest today is peaceful, and our major concern is to show that what government decided is wrong, because Nigerians kicked against it, but the Federal Government went  go ahead and removed the subsidy. The protest was peaceful.

No incident of violence was recorded as at the time of filing this report and many major roads in and out of Kano were barricaded. There was also a huge security presence in the state, while economic activities are still going on but the prices of goods and services have recorded an astronomical increase. Transport fares have been on the rise by double in the state following the removal of subsidy on petrol.”

However, the state governor, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has alleged that a political party and a students’ religious group in the state are trying to hijack the current riots against fuel subsidy withdrawal in the state capital to cause confusion.

Kwankwaso said: “The situation in Kano is now being politicized. Information available to us indicates that there is a calculated attempt by a political party and a faith-based students’ body to take control of the situation.” “Kano State alone cannot make a decision over the removal of fuel subsidy. It is a collective decision of the federal and state governments as well as other stakeholders”, he maintained.

Earlier, the President of NAKSS, Baraya Hasan Garba, had explained that the association was vehemently against the removal of the fuel subsidy announced by the Federal Government recently. He then presented a letter to the governor against the action for onward transmission to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Meanwhile, ANPP’s ANPP state secretary, Alhaji Rabi Bako, said the action of President Goodluck Jonathan was a violation of human right which allowed people to air their views. “It was saddened that adequate consultation and dialogue were not employed before Mr. President went ahead to removed the subsidy ‘this is tantamount to presidential system the country is practising. 

The Federal Government by this action has played on the intelligence of the downtrodden masses noting that failure to stop the removal it would aggravated the burden the populace are facing,” he said.

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