The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has given the Benue State Government five days to resolve its disputes with the state chapters of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COASU) and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and reopen affected tertiary institutions.
NANS, in a public notice signed by its Deputy Senate President, Caleb King Ogabidu, said students in the institutions had been out of school for more than two months, warning that the prolonged closure was threatening the academic future of thousands of students.
The association said failure to resolve the dispute and return students to the classrooms within five working days would trigger a nationwide mobilisation and a peaceful demonstration in Makurdi, the state capital, on Friday, September 25, 2026.
In the notice titled, “Notice of Mass Mobilisation to Makurdi, Benue State — Friday 25th, September 2026 Over the Perpetual Closure of Tertiary Institutions in the State,” NANS accused the state government of neglecting education.
“It isn’t news anymore that Nigerian students within Benue State have been out of school for over two months now and are still counting due to an obvious negligence of education by the state government, which is no longer tolerable,” the association said.
NANS demanded that the government settle its outstanding disputes with COASU and ASUP and conclude arrangements for the immediate reintegration of affected students and resumption of normal academic activities.
“Education is the bedrock of every society, and it should be the core of any responsible government,” it said.
The association said the ultimatum was part of its responsibility to protect and advocate for the interests and rights of Nigerian students.
It warned that failure to reach an agreement with the unions and reopen the institutions within five working days would leave it with “no option” but to mobilise students across the country.
“We cannot mortgage the destinies of thousands of our students on the altar of the government’s insensitivity,” NANS said.
The institutions affected by the prolonged closure include Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo; Akpereshi Polytechnic, Yandev, Gboko; Akawe Torkula Polytechnic, Makurdi; Benue State College of Education, Oju; and College of Education, Katsina-Ala.
NANS urged students of the affected institutions to remain calm and steadfast, assuring them that its leadership was committed to securing their return to the classrooms.
It also directed all its structures to begin mobilisation for a peaceful demonstration upon the expiration of the ultimatum if the state government fails to resolve the dispute.
