The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to shut down critical infrastructure across Nigeria, including roads and airports, if the Federal Government fails to prevent another strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
NANS Assistant General Secretary, Emmanuel Adejuwon, speaking in Abuja on Monday, expressed frustration over ASUU’s latest strike warning, insisting that Nigerian students would not sit idle while their future is jeopardized.
“If this strike is not averted, we will bring the country to a standstill until the future of Nigerian students is secured. Enough of endless promises. The time for games is over,” Adejuwon declared.
Students: Strike Hurts the Masses Alone
Adejuwon lamented that strike actions only punish children of the masses.
“The politicians and government officials whose failures created this crisis are not affected; their children are schooling abroad or in private universities. If their children were in public institutions, the issue would have been resolved long ago,” he said.
He accused the government of insincerity while also urging ASUU to explore alternatives to strikes, stressing that frequent disruptions damage students’ academic progress.
ASUU Presses Demands Ahead of August 28 Meeting
Meanwhile, ASUU branches nationwide reiterated their demands on Monday, warning that industrial action was imminent unless the Federal Government acted quickly.
- In Ibadan, Zonal Coordinator Prof. Biodun Olaniran urged the government to implement the Yayale Ahmed report submitted in February, saying it contained consensus solutions to all pending disputes.
- He listed unresolved issues such as the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, withheld salaries, promotion arrears, rejection of IPPIS, and poor funding of universities.
“Many of our members cannot provide education for their wards and have turned to borrowing to survive,” Olaniran said.
- In Abuja, ASUU’s Prof. Al-Amin Abdullahi demanded payment of withheld salaries and adoption of UTAS as a payment system, warning that Nigeria’s neglect of education was “mortgaging the nation’s future.”
- In Uyo, ASUU’s Calabar Zone rejected the newly launched Tertiary Institution Staff Loan Scheme, describing it as a “mockery of the university system.”
ASUU has scheduled what it describes as a final meeting with the Federal Government on August 28, 2025, after which a decision on strike action will be taken.
Growing Frustration Among Stakeholders
Both students and lecturers say they are exhausted by the government’s failure to honour agreements.
For NANS, the warning is clear:
“The Federal Government must act now. ASUU must act responsibly. And Nigerian students will not sit idle while our future is wasted.”
