The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to reconsider its planned strike over the delayed payment of June salaries to lecturers.
In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by its National Vice President on Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Felicia Akinbodunse, NANS urged ASUU to prioritize the welfare of students and the stability of the academic calendar.
Akinbodunse acknowledged the legitimacy of ASUU’s grievances but stressed that embarking on industrial action at this time would disrupt the academic stability that universities have maintained over the past two years. She called for dialogue and mutual understanding between the union and the government to resolve the payment issues without resorting to strikes.
She further emphasized that Nigerian students, who often bear the brunt of prolonged industrial actions, should not suffer setbacks in their education due to unresolved labor disputes.
NANS urged both parties to find amicable solutions to avoid jeopardizing the academic future of millions of students across the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the leadership of ASUU on Monday confirmed that a directive had been issued for all branches of the union nationwide to withdraw their services over the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries to its members.
The union cited the enforcement of the “No Pay, No Work” resolution.
NAN also reports that ASUU chapters in two federal universities, the University of Jos and the University of Abuja, have already commenced strike action in compliance with the directive.
President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who confirmed the development to the media in Abuja, said that the institutions were simply complying with the resolution from the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union.
He explained that the resolution directed that any month members’ salaries were delayed beyond three days; they should withdraw their services until the salaries were paid.
Akinbodunse however appealed to ASUU to to reconsider their stand and shelve the strike, noting that students were always at the receiving end any time the academic union embarks on a strike.
She said that rather than withdrawing their services in universities across the country, the leadership of ASUU should engage the federal government in order to resolve the matter without any face off.
She recalled that since the inception of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, strikes by ASUU had reduced drastically and students had continued to enjoy uninterrupted academic sessions.
She expressed optimism that engaging with the federal government in dialogue on the issue of delayed salary payment, would resolve the matter without the need by ASUU to down tools.
Akinbodunse added that students and their parents could not afford any disruption in the academic calendar, particularly in the face of the economic situation, appealing to the leadership of the academic union to be considerate.
She also appealed to the federal government to address the issue of delay in the payment of salary of the university lecturers and to find a lasting solution to it.
