Ahead of the nationwide protest scheduled for August 1 across the country, the National Vice President, Special Duties, of the National Association of Nigeria Students, NANS, Nzubechi Valentine Ahaneku, has said that students from the Southeast region are not going to participate in the protest, saying that it is not going to address the issues facing them.
He made his position known in a chat with DAILY POST in Owerri.
The NANS VP said that not joining the protest does not mean that all is well with students in the region but rather that they are trying to avoid what may drag the students body into a situation that will be difficult to extricate itself from.
Ahaneku asserted that students can carry out protests, which they can control, to register their grievances over federal government’s negligence concerning their affairs rather than partake in an act that may turn against them.
“Embarking on a protest where we are not part of those who planned it and whose outcome you cannot predict could be dangerous on the side of the students. Even though the protest may be genuine, it can be hijacked,” he said.
He further stated that students will not like to indulge in any act that could disrupt their academic process, which may hurt the future of their education, maintaining that there are still other ways to draw the government’s attention to its responsibilities.
On the issue of the student loan scheme by the federal government, the student activist stated that institutions in the southeast have yet to access the grant.
His words: “Federal and state institutions in the Southeast region are yet to indicate if they have received any loans, and we are closely watching.”