AAUA Students Storm Streets, Demand End to 68-Day ASUU Strike

AAUA students have protested a 68-day strike, barricading the university gate and demanding urgent action to end the industrial dispute and resume academic activities.

The protesters, led by the Students’ Union Government (SUG), barricaded the university’s main gate and several roads connecting the institution to the major highway, disrupting movement around the campus.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Enough is Enough,” “NASU, NAAT, SSANU have joined strike” and “Every pending graduate, shey na our lives be these?”, the students called on the government and other parties involved in the dispute to urgently resolve the issues responsible for the prolonged shutdown.

The SUG President, Folagbade Greatness Ayoola, said the students had been pushed to protest after repeated efforts and assurances failed to produce a solution.

He said the prolonged strike was taking a toll on students, particularly those who had paid their fees and were expecting to continue their academic programmes.

“We cannot keep silent because we are really facing challenges in our university. Imagine students having to pay school fees while lecturers’ salaries are not being paid,” Ayoola said.

According to him, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had presented its demands to the government but embarked on an indefinite strike after a series of engagements failed to yield the expected response.

Ayoola said students had continued to hear promises of a resolution without seeing tangible progress.

“We keep hearing promises and pushing for a solution, but nothing concrete has happened. At this point, we have no other option than to come out and make our voices heard,” he said.

He warned that the students would sustain their protests through legitimate channels until the university reopened.

“Until the strike is called off, we are not going to back down. We will continue to protest and use every legitimate means possible to ensure that our voices are heard,” Ayoola added.

The General Secretary of the Students’ Union, Oluwatimileyin Amos, said the 68-day closure had created uncertainty and hardship for students, with those approaching graduation particularly affected.

“We have been on strike for 68 days now and something needs to be done. We need an immediate resolution and action because our students are suffering,” Amos said.

He said many students were unable to make plans because they did not know when academic activities would resume.

“Students are in a dilemma. They do not know whether to travel or stay back. This has caused a lot of hardship for students, especially the pending graduates whose examinations are approaching,” he added

The Students’ Senate President, Adebiyi Kehinde, said the union had previously engaged the university management and other stakeholders in an effort to resolve the dispute, but the discussions had not produced the desired result.

“For almost 60 days now, we have been at home. We have tried our best by engaging the management and important stakeholders who we believe can intervene and ensure that the strike is called off,” Kehinde said.

He appealed to the government and other parties involved in the dispute to address the outstanding issues and create the conditions for students to return to their classrooms.

“We are not asking for too much. We just want to resume and continue our academic activities. We urge the government to do the needful and end this strike,” he said.

Kehinde also urged students to remain peaceful while supporting efforts to resolve the crisis.

A 500-level student, Ogungbade James, joined the call for an immediate resolution, appealing to the government to meet its outstanding obligations and address the issues behind the industrial action.

The students maintained that ending the strike would enable them to return to campus, complete their academic programmes and allow pending graduates to proceed with their examinations.