On 12 August 2026, at the Federal University of Lafia in Nasarawa State, Asefon Dayo — Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement — declared that ASUU strikes are now history, citing "three years uninterrupted academic calendar" under President Bola Tinubu.

Dayo credited the signing of the long-standing ASUU agreement, saying it "has been signed by a man that understands the nitty-gritty of administration." The declaration was reported by allAfrica.

The other headlines from the same period

In the same window, Premium Times carried two other stories: "ASUU strike stalls examination in Nigerian university" and "ASUU shuts Nigerian university, gives reason". Both are branch-level actions rather than a national strike — a real and meaningful distinction — but if you are the student whose exam did not hold, the distinction does not help you.

There is also the loan question. NELFUND has been the government's headline answer on access, and it has genuinely put people through school who would not otherwise be there. It has also generated a steady stream of disputes — the University of Abuja has publicly dismissed claims of loan mismanagement, and NELFUND together with the University of Benin denied a circular telling students to begin repaying.

Where I stand

Both things are true at once, and we should be mature enough to say so. Three years without a national shutdown is a real achievement and anyone who lived through 2020 or 2022 knows what it is worth. It is also true that "no national strike" is a low bar to celebrate, and that branch actions, unpaid allowances and a loan scheme still finding its feet mean the underlying argument was never settled — it was managed.

My worry is what happens the first time the agreement is tested. Calling something history before it is finished is how you stop preparing for it.

You are the ones on campus — tell me

• Has your school run a clean calendar for the last three years, honestly?
• If you are on NELFUND: did the money arrive, and did it arrive on time?
• What single thing would most improve your school year?

Sources: allAfrica (Presidency declaration), Premium Times (branch strike reports), NELFUND and university statements as reported.