It was a sea of heads and placards on Wednesday, July 26, 2022, when the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa alongside thousands of workers, students, trade unionists, and other well-meaning Nigerians marched in state capitals across the country for a two-day nationwide protest called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over the shutdown of public universities in the country since February 14, 2022.[spacer height=”25px”]
The national protests across the country culminated with a mega rally by the NLC and all its affiliate unions, on Thursday, July 27, 2022, at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.[spacer height=”25px”]
The industrial action also solidarized with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and other university unions who had no choice but to embark on the strike on account of the government’s failure to implement several agreements reached with the unions which include the release specific funds to revitalize public university systems and infrastructure, payment of outstanding earned academic allowances of lecturers, implementation of a 26% agreed to budgetary allocation to the country’s education sector amongst other important demands of the striking unions.[spacer height=”25px”]
In Lagos State, the significant march, which was punctuated with vibrant speeches to crowds of people in the streets, political songs, and energetic dances by protestors, kicked off from Computer Village, Ikeja, and terminated at the Lagos State government’s office in Alausa where labour leaders and protestors further expressed their grief and concerns over the poor conditions of public universities in the country including the dwindling economy and fortunes of Nigerians as a result of bad governance. The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa also took advantage of the protest march to amplify its opposition to the privatization and commercialization of education in Nigeria and Africa.
