Students have expressed frustration as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities stormed various examination halls and forced an immediate halt to all ongoing examinations.
The move followed the national directive of the union to commence a two-week warning strike effective immediately.
Students who were in the middle of their semester examinations were left stranded and confused as lecturers abruptly stopped the process and walked out of the venues.
One of the affected students speaking to Sahara Reporters under condition of anonymity said the development threw the campus into disarray.
“Every exam in the faculty has been cancelled,” the student said. “No more exams till after two weeks. UNIBEN ASUU has mobilized its members to disrupt any ongoing exams. A two-week strike was activated with immediate effect in UNIBEN.”
The national body of ASUU had earlier announced the commencement of a two-week warning strike to protest the Nigerian government’s alleged failure to honour previous agreements on funding, earned allowances, and implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
In response, the Federal Government threatened to enforce the “no work, no pay” policy against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who proceed with their planned strike.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the Minister of Education, Prof. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmed, accused ASUU of walking away from dialogue despite what they described as the government’s “genuine and consistent efforts” to meet the union’s demands.
They urged ASUU to reconsider its decision, stressing that dialogue remains the most effective way to resolve outstanding issues in the tertiary education sector.
However, as the strike began, the Ministry of Education issued a fresh circular dated October 13, 2025, directing vice-chancellors of federal universities to enforce the “no work, no pay” rule.
The circular, signed by Dr. Tunji Alausa, ordered universities to conduct a roll call and submit reports on staff participating in or abstaining from the strike.
