ASUU Strike Halts Exams At University Of Benin

Examinations at the University of Benin came to an abrupt stop on Monday as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) stormed various halls to enforce a nationwide two-week warning strike.

The action, which began immediately after the national directive, left thousands of students stranded and campuses in disarray.

Lecturers at UNIBEN walked into examination venues mid-session, ordering students to leave and ending all ongoing papers. Many students were left shocked as invigilators abandoned their duties, bringing the semester’s academic activities to a standstill. Reports from the campus indicate that all scheduled exams have now been suspended until further notice.

The union’s decision follows the national leadership’s announcement of a warning strike to protest the government’s failure to fulfill agreements on university funding, earned academic allowances, and the implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). The move is part of a renewed campaign by ASUU to press for commitments that have remained unresolved for years.

At UNIBEN, the local ASUU chapter swiftly acted on the directive, sending internal messages to heads of departments and invigilators to stop all examinations. Some non-academic staff also joined in solidarity, locking certain faculty buildings and halting access to classrooms and administrative offices. The campus atmosphere grew tense as students gathered outside closed halls, uncertain of what would happen next.

The federal government, however, has warned that it will enforce the “no work, no pay” policy if lecturers continue with the strike. In a statement jointly issued by Education Minister Prof. Maruf Tunji Alausa and Minister of State for Education Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmed, the government accused ASUU of walking away from negotiations despite what it described as ongoing efforts to meet their demands.

The ministers urged the union to return to the dialogue table, saying only cooperation can bring lasting peace to the university system. But on the ground in UNIBEN, the strike has already disrupted academic schedules and postponed the fate of thousands of students awaiting the end of their semester examinations.

The coming days will determine whether the standoff deepens or a compromise is reached to end yet another disruption in Nigeria’s public university calendar.