Students should be pitied, having wasted a whole academic session at home due to the COVID-19 lockdown and the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ strike.
The National Association of Nigerian Students has appealed to unions within universities to suspend strike actions and allow for negotiations.
In a statement on Monday, NANs president, Sunday Asefon, said the university system is on the brink of collapse due to the incessant strikes embarked upon by the academic and non-academic staff.
He said students should be pitied, having wasted a whole academic session at home due to the COVID-19 lockdown and the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ strike.
Asefon said the ongoing strike by the Non-Academic Staff Union and the Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities would destabilise and demoralise the students.
"We call for restraint and beg our unions to allow further negotiation and suspend further strike in the interest of these promising future leaders," he said.
According to him, there should be a caution on the penchant for strike when dialogue could suffice.
He said, “NANS is of the humble opinion that unions can advocate the welfare of their members, but such shouldn’t be by ego, muscle flexing and rivalry, the way academic and non-academic unions in our universities have been exhibiting.
“It is unpatriotic on the side of the government and our unions to subject the country’s future leaders to these academic rigours and agonies.
“They should please pity the students and parents and return to schools immediately.
“As we speak, students in many of the universities that just resumed for the 2020/2021 academic session cannot complete their registration while those that had started have been finding it difficult to access lecture theatres that were under lock and key."