Nigeria@65: Advocacy Group Urges FG, ASUU to End Stalemate, Safeguard Students’ Future

On Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day, the Corpers’ Journey Advocacy Network (CJAN) has urged the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to urgently resolve their differences and protect Nigerian students from the impact of prolonged industrial action.

Speaking on Monday, CJAN’s Managing Director, Taiwo Ajayi, said the most meaningful tribute to Nigeria’s independence is safeguarding the education of its young people.

“We appreciate the government’s willingness to engage, but all parties must act with urgency and deliver concrete results that keep students in school,” Ajayi stressed.

CJAN commended recent government steps to engage stakeholders but warned against the recurring pattern of university strikes, which disrupt academic calendars, delay graduations, and increase financial pressure on families.

The group also highlighted the hidden costs of strikes, including lost employability opportunities, missed recruitment windows, stalled research, and declining student morale.

Ajayi further called on both FG and ASUU to:

• Publish a clear resumption roadmap within 14 days.
• Establish an independent panel with student, civil society, and regulatory representation.
• Implement academic continuity measures such as blended learning and accelerated timetables.

CJAN also urged temporary safeguards for graduates affected by strike-related delays — including adjustments to age-based hiring rules and special recruitment cycles — to prevent young people from being unfairly penalised.

At the same time, we note with deep concern the recurring pattern of industrial action in the university system and the cumulative harm it does to students, families and the national development agenda.

Dialogue alone is not enough; commitments must be translated into credible timetables and measurable outcomes.

Prolonged strikes disrupt academic calendars, delay graduations and multiply the direct and indirect costs of education. Students and their families pay more in accommodation, lost income, and academic fees; research projects stall; and the rhythm of academic life — admissions, internships, and examinations — is repeatedly reset. These interruptions are not abstract: they translate into lost opportunities and mounting frustration for young people trying to build their futures.

A dimension of the crisis that we find particularly alarming is the risk to student employability. Many employers in the private sector advertise with strict age brackets and narrow recruitment windows.

When academic programmes are prolonged by strikes, graduates can miss critical recruitment cycles, internship opportunities and even statutory service or licensing deadlines.

In effect, students are penalised for systemic failures beyond their control. The economic and social cost of this “time penalty” is high and falls disproportionately on the most vulnerable.

Beyond employability, repeated academic stoppages damage student morale and wellbeing. Interrupted studies increase uncertainty, exacerbate financial stress, and can push some young people toward negative coping mechanisms.

They also contribute to a wider erosion of trust in public institutions and in the social contract between the state and its citizens — a worrying pattern for a country that needs the energy and creativity of its youth to grow.

While ASUU’s demands often reflect legitimate grievances about funding, conditions of service, university autonomy and the state of educational infrastructure, the government too must be judged by results: prompt release of appropriations, transparent handling of earned entitlements, and practical roadmaps for restoring, modernising and protecting tertiary institutions.

Both sides must therefore approach negotiations with urgency, realism and an appreciation that students must not be collateral damage.

CJAN urges several immediate actions: first, that both parties return to the negotiating table with a time-bound mediated plan and publish a clear resumption roadmap within 14 days; second, that an independent expert panel — including student representatives, corps members, the National Universities Commission, and civil society — be constituted to oversee implementation of agreed milestones; and third, that interim academic continuity measures (blended learning, condensed catch-up sessions, and accelerated exam timetables) be deployed so lost instructional time is recovered swiftly.

We also call on the Federal Government to work with private-sector employers, the National Youth Service Corps and relevant regulatory bodies to adopt temporary safeguards for graduates affected by strike-related delays.

These could include short-term adjustments to age-based hiring windows, special recruitment cycles for affected cohorts, and clear policies that prevent premature disqualification of candidates whose studies were extended through no fault of their own. Such measures would demonstrate national solidarity with a generation that has already sacrificed much.

Longer term, CJAN recommends comprehensive reforms to reduce the recurrence of breakdowns in the university system.

Key priorities should include predictable multi-year funding for tertiary institutions, an agreed mechanism for timely payment of earned entitlements, transparent oversight of project and capital spending, and modernised collective bargaining frameworks that emphasise dispute prevention as much as dispute resolution.

Investment in digital learning infrastructure and staff development will also increase resilience and reduce the disruption caused by future conflicts.

As Nigeria marks 65 years, we must ask whether our independence is reflected in the opportunities we provide our young people. Education is not a peripheral item on the national agenda — it is the bedrock of economic growth, civic responsibility and social stability. CJAN stands ready to support constructive initiatives that place students first, protect futures and restore public confidence in our universities.

“We call on both ASUU and the Federal Government to act with patriotism and urgency,” Taiwo Ajayi said. “Resolve must be rooted in fairness and accountability; solutions must prioritise the students whose lives and livelihoods hang in the balance. On this Independence Day, let us commit to making education a national priority that honours the promise of a better Nigeria.”

“Education is the foundation of national growth,” Ajayi concluded. “On this Independence Day, let us commit to prioritising students, protecting futures, and restoring confidence in Nigeria’s universities.”