How NANS Monday Protests Grounded Traffic, Affected Flights In Lagos

NANS protesters at Lagos Airport Road on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Students under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Monday around 8 am gathered around Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and blocked a section of the access road to protest against the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The students who defied the heavy rain used vehicles to block inbound and outbound traffic from the Ajao to Hajj Camp area of the airport road axis.

The aggrieved students carried placards bearing various inscriptions such as “No nation can develop without genuine commitment to education,” and “If you have money for election form, you can fund education.”

The visibly aggrieved students, who chanted various songs, to register their displeasure, were demanding that the Nigerian Government should take urgent steps to resolve issues making the ongoing strike by the university lecturers to linger, so that they can go back to school and resume academic activities.

NANS protesters at Lagos Airport Road on Monday, September 19, 2022

The protest caused heavy traffic around the axis, amidst the presence of security operatives from the Lagos State Police Command, Rapid Response Squad, Lagos Airport Police Command, and other security agencies.

Prime Business Africa gathered that the traffic gridlock affected some air passengers who could get to the airport to board to their destination. Some airlines reportedly complained about delays in flights due to the protest which stalled vehicular movement in and around the airport.

It would be recalled that ASUU has been on strike since February 14 this year, over the inability of the federal government to meet their demands for improvement of their welfare and that of the education system in the nation’s public universities.

After a series of negotiations that resulted in no amicable settlement of the impasse, the federal government through the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige filed a suit at the National Industrial Court, Abuja against the academic union in an attempt to force the university teachers to return to classrooms.

The court at its resumed sitting on Monday (today), after hearing an argument on the application for an interlocutory injunction by the government, fixed Wednesday, September, 21 for the ruling.

Victor Ezeja

Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.