The Yoruba Appraisal Forum, YAF, has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to quickly settle disagreements with the Nigerian government for youths to be productively engaged in school.
The National Coordinator, Mr. Adeshina Animashaun of YAF, a coalition of civil society and self-determination organisations in the six South-West states in Nigeria, made this appeal in a press briefing in Lagos.
Mr. Animashaun alleged that some individuals high in society are planning to use the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, to instigate violence in the South-West region and spread to other parts of Nigeria.
He further explained that these persons aim to ultimately undermine the electoral process in Nigeria’s 2023 General Election.
The forum advised Yoruba and Nigerian youths to maintain peace and eschew violence, urging citizens not to allow themselves to be deceived by anyone to engage in violence.
“This grand conspiracy to cause violence and mayhem across the country by these prominent personalities is, of course, being fine-tuned by some prominent Nigerians and others pretending to be taking refuge in neighbouring countries.
“YAF also learned that there are plans by this same set of disgruntled persons to use members of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the National Association of Nigerians Students (NANS) to cause crisis and chaos across the country.
“We gathered from reliable sources that they have planned an uprising and bloody protests to begin after the NUGA Games scheduled to hold at UNILAG between March 16 and 27, 2022. From what we gathered, the plan is to use NUGA for comprehensive mobilisation towards executing the violence.
“NANS in the South-West and all ASUU chairmen in the region are said to have been saddled with the responsibility of acting as the arrowhead of the violence and are practically ready for the planned showdown,” Animashaun alleged.
Therefore, the forum’s National Coordinator advised the Federal Government and the state governors to ensure the deployment of enough security agents throughout Yorubaland and the entire country to tighten security and forestall any plan of violence before and during the 2023 elections.
He further urged that security agencies should not relent in beefing up security across the South-West and the rest of the country to avert any form of violence.
The forum further warned anyone planning chaos and violence to shelve their evil plans in the country’s interest.
