The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to shelve its planned strike over the delayed payment of June salaries to lecturers, warning that any disruption would jeopardize the hard-won academic stability of recent years.
In a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja and signed by its National Vice President on Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Felicia Akinbodunse, NANS urged ASUU to reconsider the strike action and explore dialogue with the federal government instead.
“Any industrial action by ASUU now would destabilise the stable academic calendar universities had enjoyed since the past two years,” Akinbodunse warned.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ASUU’s leadership, on Monday, directed its branches nationwide to withdraw their services following the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries, citing the enforcement of its long-standing “No Pay, No Work” resolution.
Chapters in the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have already commenced strike action in compliance with the directive.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development, stating that the action was in line with a resolution of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC).
He explained: “The resolution directed that any month members’ salaries were delayed beyond three days, they should withdraw their services until the salaries were paid.”
However, Akinbodunse stressed that students were always the worst hit whenever ASUU embarks on a strike.
“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 said.
The NANS vice president noted that under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, incidents of ASUU strikes had reduced significantly, resulting in consistent academic sessions.
She expressed confidence that dialogue would resolve the issue without resorting to industrial action.
“Students and their parents could not afford any disruption in the academic calendar, particularly in the face of the economic situation,” she added, appealing to ASUU to be considerate.
Akinbodunse also called on the federal government to urgently address the salary delay and ensure a lasting solution to the recurring issue.
