NUGS Declares Hunger Strike

Accra, Nov. 1, GNA - The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) rising from a crisis executive meeting today the first of November, 2005 has resolved to embark on a hunger strike starting from tomorrow Wednesday November 2 2005 till they were provided with a permanent secretariat.

A statement NUGS President Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa signed said the NUGS had arrived at the decision after several appeals and after a meeting with the Minister of Education and Sports and the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education on October 31, 2005 where it came out that the Ministry of Education and Sports was not in the position to guarantee assistance to it for the allocation of a secretariat.

It said: "We are left with no other option than to deny ourselves food and water till we are provided with a permanent secretariat by the State first or any other group or individual so touched."

NUGS reminded: "The good people of Ghana that it has over the years been a victim of mere political promises of successive governments including this government so far as a permanent secretariat for the Union is concerned despite the fact that the role of NUGS in fighting for and consolidating democracy in Ghana cannot be over emphasised."

"The stature of NUGS as stakeholders in education and for that matter her legacy in various fields such as fighting for the institution of the GETFund, which has been described as the best thing to happen to education in Ghana leaves one shocked as to this total neglect of NUGS while other bodies such as the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) amongst others have been assisted in similar capacity."

"NUGS Executive will, therefore, from tomorrow November 2 be located at the Ministries taxi rank in front of the former GFA building together with our ejected belongings till our plight is addressed." The Head of Civil Service, Mr F. B. Aasoyir, in a letter dated October 26 this year ordered the NUGS to vacate their occupancy of GFA's room at the Ministries by October 31, this year.