The police on Wednesday fired tear gas and shot bullets into the air to disperse protesting students of some polytechnics, colleges of education and some NGOs in Lagos.
The peaceful protest was organised by the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Education Rights Campaign and Concerned Students Against Education Commercialisation (COSATEC).
The protest was to ask the Federal Government to resolve its conflict with the striking Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
The protest, which took off from the Yaba College of Technology, was disrupted at Evans Square in Ebute Meta as scores of armed policemen, who arrived at the Evan Square in Hilux vans, fired tear gas and bullets to disperse the protesters.
At the sound of gunshots, the protesters, passers-by and residents of nearby Adekunle, Carter and Simpson streets took to their heels.
A protester alleged that a stray bullet hit an unidentified male student in the hand, while several others students were arrested and whisked away by the policemen.
The situation resulted into traffic jam at Ojuelegba, Ikorodu Road, Herbert Macaulay Way, Jibowu, Mushin, Yaba and Sabo.
Hassan Soweto, National Coordinator Education Rights Campaign, said during the protest at Jibowu Roundabout that the aim was to urge the government to end the strikes, adding that the demands of the unions were genuine and would help to adequately train manpower that could enhance technological development of Nigeria.
“We are here to demand that the government does what is needful; government seems to be neglecting us; this is getting too much.
“Every Nigerian child has the right to qualitative education but we are being robbed of our rights at this time. We need to defend the rights of the Nigerian child to go to school.
“This strike will ruin the career of these students and increase the level of crime. We humbly appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately meet the demands for the transformation of the polytechnic system in the country,” he said.
Salaudeen Lukman, Senate President of NAPS, said that the protest would extend to all other parts of the country as he regretted that polytechnics had suffered to many strikes.
The unionist said that priority attention to education would help to eradicate terrorist activities in Nigeria.
“While we commend the move by the government to end dichotomy between HND and B.sc graduates, we appeal to government to meet all the demands of the unions so that we can go back to our various classrooms.
“This protest is not just by polytechnic students, but also by students of colleges of education and technical colleges,” he said.
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