Parents and guardians of students across universities nationwide have expressed delight over the resumption of lectures by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
They described the going back to lecture halls as a removal of burden from their hearts as they were saddened by the strike which could have metamorphosed into full blown industrial disharmony if not addressed.
In a chat with LEADERSHIP, some parents of students in the Magboro area of Ogun State expressed happiness that the strike had been called off.
One of them, Alhaji Abdulkarim, said: “Since we have witnessed uncountable industrial disharmonies, I was expressing fear when I saw that ASUU had again gone on strike. I was touched by the strike because many of our children in public higher institutions have been made to spend more years at home due to previous strikes. So, this new one brought fear into my heart.”Another parent,Aliu ,who did not give his full name said, “ASUU going on strike is not new to me, but the most painful thing in the strike is that the children are the ones being forced to stay at home while the children of the super rich Nigerians, especially, politicians’ children, who are in private universities and those abroad, are having their lectures without any hindrance.”
Recall that following the payment of their June salaries, lecturers in all federal universities across the country suspended their strike and resumed work based on the disbursement of their June 2025 salaries by the federal government.
This salary payment signified the end of the cold war between the government and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), some of whom had earlier downed tools over ‘no-pay-no-work’ directive.
The protest was triggered by repeated delays in salary disbursement, which union chapters said had persisted for over five months.
Many branches of ASUU joined in the strike, according to ASUU president, Professor Chris Piwuna. According to Piwuna, ASUU already promised to invoke the no-pay-no-work policy on the federal government if it fails to fast-track payment of June salary.
Commenting on the development, the minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa said, the resumption and calm across campuses were a result of ongoing engagement with academic and non-academic unions.
In a statement earlier last week, Alausa said, “It is not by coincidence that Nigerian public tertiary institutions have remained open and stable for the past two years, something that has not happened in several decades.”
He noted that the administration’s approach is anchored on ‘sustained dialogue, mutual respect, and a phased response to demands,’ adding that the federal government remains committed to meeting the needs of staff in the education sector.
‘The welfare of both academic and non-academic staff remains a priority under the Renewed Hope Agenda. Our children are the heartbeat of the nation, and their uninterrupted education is non-negotiable,’ he said.
