Empty class Students left in limbo as strike rolls on

Before February, Khalil Rahman Abdullah would start his day with morning prayers before racing off to classes at the University of Ilorin, where he is a final-year medical student.

- Pelumi Salako ILORIN

These days, he wakes to his phone and laptop screen, then browses the web or signs up to online courses. As time ticks by, he is becoming enormously frustrated, as are many Nigerian students.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigeria's umbrella body for lecturers, went on strike on 14 February and have not returned to work.

"It means I will spend a longer year," said Abdullah, 28, who had been due to qualify. "The bulk of the work I do at this level is hands-on, not what you can study at home. You need constant exposure to patients."

The ASUU said it is protesting against the government's refusal to fulfil a 2009 agreement that included a better welfare package and improved facilities for universities across Nigeria. It also wants the government to adopt the University Transparency and Accountability Solution for payment of its members' salaries.