Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Many medical laboratory science students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, have issued an emotional and desperate plea to the university's management and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, begging for permission to sit for their long-awaited professional examination even as an indefinite strike cripples academic activities across the institution. In a passionate appeal, the students recounted a harrowing academic journey that has already stretched to nine years for a programme originally designed to take just five. With the spectre of a tenth year looming, they are demanding that the authorities show compassion and allow the exam, which had been scheduled and prepared for, to proceed as planned.
The students' appeal comes against the backdrop of an indefinite strike declared by the AAU chapter of ASUU on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. The industrial action was triggered by the Edo State Government's failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, which includes issues related to unpaid allowances. The strike, which took effect from 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, has grounded all academic activities, including the conduct and supervision of examinations, lectures, and the supervision of students' research projects.
However, the medical laboratory science students argue that their case is exceptional and demands an exemption. According to the appeal, these students have already spent nine years in school, enduring multiple disruptions and delays that were not of their making. For them, the planned professional examination represents the final hurdle in a gruelling academic marathon. "These students have already spent nine years in school for a programme originally designed to take five years, and they are now approaching their tenth year. The prolonged delay is not their fault, and it would be heartbreaking to see an examination that had already been planned and scheduled put on hold because of the ongoing strike," the appeal read.
The appeal highlights the immense personal, financial, and emotional toll the extended academic sojourn has taken on the students and their families. Parents and guardians, who have already invested heavily in supporting their children through nearly a decade of schooling, are now faced with the prospect of additional expenses related to preparing for a professional examination that may be postponed indefinitely. "Their parents and guardians have also spent considerable amounts of money supporting them throughout these years, including expenses related to preparing for this professional examination," the appeal noted.
The students are calling on the university's Vice-Chancellor and management team, alongside the Dean of the Faculty, to intervene and appeal to the relevant Medical Laboratory Science regulatory authorities to allow the examination to proceed despite the strike. They are also appealing directly to the ASUU leadership to consider the plight of these students and make an exception. "While industrial action may require the suspension of certain academic activities, we sincerely appeal that an examination that has already been delayed for years should not suffer another avoidable postponement, especially when the students have already made preparations and incurred expenses," the appeal stated.
The students' plea has ignited a wave of public sympathy, with many Nigerians expressing outrage at the systemic failures that have condemned these young people to academic limbo. The situation at AAU is emblematic of a broader crisis in Nigeria's university system, where frequent and prolonged strikes have become a recurring nightmare for students. The ASUU strike at AAU is part of a nationwide wave of industrial actions that has seen several state universities shut down.
The National Executive Council of ASUU had earlier authorised its branches in 20 universities to issue a 14-day ultimatum and subsequently commence strike action over the non-implementation of the 2025 agreement. The affected institutions include Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; and Abia State University, among others. The ASUU branch at AAU has now followed through on that directive, leaving students like those in the medical laboratory science programme in a state of desperation.
For the medical laboratory science students, the appeal is a final, desperate cry for help. They have waited for years, endured countless setbacks, and invested everything in their education. They are now asking the authorities to see beyond the politics of the strike and consider the human cost of another postponement. "These students deserve consideration. Their parents deserve consideration. The years they have already spent in school deserve consideration. Their future and professional careers deserve consideration," the appeal concluded.
The ball is now in the court of the AAU management and the ASUU leadership. The decision they make in the coming days will not only determine the fate of these students but will also serve as a litmus test for the government's commitment to the welfare of Nigerian students who have become collateral damage in the perennial battle between university staff and the state.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments