The National Association of Nigerian Students has threatened to paralyse key infrastructure across the country if the Federal Government fails to meet the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, which has once again warned of an imminent nationwide strike.
The students’ body expressed frustration at the Federal Government’s handling of negotiations with lecturers and said it would mobilise for protests that would block roads, airports, government offices, and other critical sectors. NANS leaders accused the government of insincerity and warned that ordinary Nigerians continue to suffer the brunt of industrial disputes in public universities.
They argued that strike actions mostly affect children from low- and middle-income families, while the children of political elites study abroad or in private institutions. According to NANS, students have grown weary of broken promises and endless negotiations. The association called on both government and ASUU to find alternative solutions to strikes, insisting that repeated disruptions have wasted years of students’ lives and reduced the quality of education.
On their part, ASUU branches nationwide have restated their demands and accused the government of deliberately ignoring agreements. In Ibadan, union leaders said the government’s refusal to implement the recommendations of the Yayale Ahmed report, submitted earlier this year, could trigger another strike. The report, they explained, addressed major points of disagreement between lecturers and the government after years of negotiations.
ASUU leaders listed unresolved issues, including the 2009 agreement on sustainable university funding, withheld salaries, unpaid promotion arrears, non-payment of earned academic allowances, and continued use of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which the union has consistently rejected. They also accused the government of eroding university autonomy through the dissolution of governing councils without due process.
Similar concerns were raised in Abuja, where ASUU leaders reiterated demands for the implementation of the 2009 agreement and release of withheld salaries. They said successive governments had neglected universities, leaving them overcrowded, underfunded, and unable to compete globally.
In Calabar Zone, the union dismissed the government’s recently launched Tertiary Institution Staff Loan Scheme as a distraction and an insult to university workers. Lecturers described the initiative as a “poison chalice,” arguing that it does not address their core grievances such as outdated salary structures, unpaid allowances, and stalled renegotiations.
ASUU leaders warned that their planned meeting with the Federal Government on August 28 would be decisive, saying they would no longer waste resources on fruitless talks.
With frustration rising among both lecturers and students, the coming days appear critical for Nigeria’s higher education system. NANS has vowed to resist any further strike that jeopardises students’ futures, while ASUU insists that government inaction is pushing universities deeper into crisis.
