The National Association Of Nigerian Students (NANS) has cautioned that another strike by the Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU) would throw the country’s education sector into fresh instability.
In a statement issued on Friday by its President, Olushola Oladoja, and National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Samson, NANS urged both the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve their disputes through dialogue rather than industrial action.
The student body expressed deep concern over ASUU’s recent threat of embarking on strike following unresolved disagreements with the government.
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According to the association, the lecturers’ grievances include the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement, settlement of outstanding salary arrears, withheld promotions, and the welfare of retired academic staff.
While acknowledging the legitimacy of ASUU’s demands, NANS stressed that embarking on another strike would cause severe setbacks for Nigerian students, who are always the most affected.
The association further noted: “One of the greatest achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR is the establishment of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has already begun to ease access to higher education, as well as the maintenance of an uninterrupted academic calendar for over two years. These gains must be protected at all costs.”
NANS therefore appealed to the Federal Government to urgently address ASUU’s concerns with sincerity, emphasizing that safeguarding the academic stability of Nigerian universities should be treated as a national priority.
On the part of ASUU, NANS urged the union to show patriotism by shelving its planned strike and continuing negotiations with the government. “Nigerian students cannot afford another round of avoidable disruption to their academic pursuit,” the association maintained.
