Aggrieved Law Students Take to the Streets in Akwa Ibom State

On the grounds of the Akwa Ibom State government’s alleged failure to effect the release of grants and statutory entitlements of N250, 000 (two hundred and fifty thousand naira), including a laptop, aggrieved Akwa Ibom law school students staged a peaceful protest to the Akwa Ibom State government house to press home their demands. At the protest, which took place on December 23, 2015, the students, who claimed to be law students from various schools across the federation, insisted that the statutory entitlements of N250, 000.00 and a laptop which the government has traditionally been giving to them has not been released. While displaying their various placards with the inscription, “We need our school grant, government is not paying attention to us, government dakada and pay our grant, we need our N250, 000.00 and laptop,” President of the group, Udeme Rivers, informed government agents who had come to listen to their request, that the reason behind their action was due to the series of failed promises that has been given to them from different ministries on the payment of the grant. In responding to the protesting students, the Senior Special Assistance (SSA) to the state governor on student’s matters, Oto-Obong Akpan, argued that no responsible government will refuse to solve a problem that is known to it. She insisted that the demands presently being made by the students have not been presented to the state governor, Udom Emmanuel. The SSA, however, made a promise that their message will be relayed to the governor for immediate favourable action to be taken on it.