NANS threatens shutdown as ASUU prepares for fresh nationwide strike
Story by Susan Mbamah
Nigeria’s university system is facing a potential shutdown as tensions rise between the Federal Government, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
NANS has issued a warning to the Federal Government, threatening to mobilize students to shut down critical infrastructure such as airports and highways if the looming ASUU strike is not averted.
This threat comes as ASUU’s zonal branches across the country have reiterated their demands and warned of an “imminent” strike if unresolved issues are ignored.
In Abuja, NANS Assistant General Secretary, Emmanuel Adejuwon, stated:
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“Let it be on record: if this strike is not averted, we will bring the country to a standstill until the future of Nigerian students is secured. The time for games is over. The Federal Government must act now. ASUU must act responsibly. And Nigerian students will not sit idle while our future is wasted.”
Adejuwon emphasised that it is the children of ordinary Nigerians who suffer from these strikes, not the political elite, who send their children to study abroad or to expensive private universities.
He accused the government of “endless promises and insincerity,” but also urged ASUU to rethink its tactics, cautioning that repeated strikes prolong academic calendars and “diminish the quality of education and destroy futures.”
Meanwhile, ASUU has intensified its campaign, with zonal coordinators warning that patience has run out. In Ibadan, Prof. Biodun Olaniran, ASUU Zonal Coordinator, called for the immediate implementation of the Yayale Ahmed report, a negotiated consensus he believes can resolve the disputes.
Olaniran listed the union’s demands, which include:
Full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement
Payment of outstanding salary awards and promotion arrears
Release of earned academic allowances
Rejection of the IPPIS platform
Respect for university autonomy
In Uyo, the Calabar Zone of ASUU rejected the newly launched Tertiary Institution Staff Loan Scheme, calling it a “poison chalice.” Zonal Coordinator Dr. Ikechukwu Igwenyi argued that offering loans while withholding salaries and allowances is “insulting and deceptive.” He further warned that a scheduled meeting with the Federal Government on August 28 would be their final attempt at dialogue.
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Education analysts caution that another prolonged strike could worsen Nigeria’s brain drain and further cripple academic calendars. With ASUU’s firm stance and NANS’s threat of disruptive protests, the upcoming meeting is seen as a decisive moment for the government.
As Adejuwon stated, “Enough of endless promises. The time for games is over. The Federal Government must act now, ASUU must act responsibly, and Nigerian students will not sit idle while our future is wasted.”
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