Strike: Students Cry Out, Fear Missing Law School
Some final-year law students in Nigerian public universities have raised serious concerns over the possibility of missing mobilisation to the Nigerian Law School (NLS) following the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In separate interviews with The Punch, affected students lamented that their final-year results had not been processed, making it impossible for them to be considered for the 2026 Law School intake.
One of the affected students, a final-year law student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), who spoke anonymously, described the situation as emotionally draining.
“This experience is traumatising. We have been at home since last year. My colleagues from other universities are already in Law School and would be my seniors at the Bar. If we miss this opportunity again, they would become our two-year seniors at the Bar.
“Because of previous strikes, OAU has always had a backlog of students who don’t follow their original set to Law School. The students currently in Law School from OAU are our immediate seniors. We are supposed to go this year. If we don’t, it means waiting till next year.”
Another student, identified simply as Tolani, also lamented the delay.
“Our mates in other schools are already in Law School. Even our juniors in some universities are registering now for the next batch that will resume in October 2026. We are being told to wait till 2027.
“Our first-semester results since April 2021 have not been fully released. We finished our second-semester exams in November 2021, but till now, we have not seen any results.”
OAU Management Reacts
Speaking on the situation, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Adedeji Adewole, explained that the delay could not be separated from the ongoing ASUU strike.
According to him, the academic staff had been on a national strike, in addition to an earlier local strike within the university.
He stated that without academic staff at work, result processing could not continue.
He also revealed that lecturers had not received salaries for months, making the situation more difficult.
“People have not been paid salaries since February. Everybody is looking for how to survive,” he said.
However, he assured students that mobilisation for Law School had already started.
“Those whose results have been approved by the Senate are automatically eligible. The people whose results are ready will be processed as we normally do.”
Law Students’ Body Raises Alarm
Reacting to the development, the President of the Law Students Association of Nigeria, Richard Abayomi, warned that many affected students might not make it to Law School until 2027.
Abayomi, who is also a student of Osun State University, explained that according to the calendar of the Nigerian Law School, new intakes were expected to resume in September 2026.
“They are supposed to be in the Nigerian Law School by September 2026, but unfortunately they cannot make it. Even if ASUU suspends the strike now, they still may not meet this session.
“The sad part is that they automatically become juniors to their contemporaries in other institutions who are already eligible. In the legal profession, seniority is determined by the year of graduation from the Law School.”
ASUU Strike Extension
ASUU has remained on strike since February 2026. The union later extended the industrial action by four additional weeks.
The extension was announced by the union’s president, Emmanuel Osodeke, in a statement released to the media.
Students affected by the delay have appealed to their respective university authorities to urgently process their results so that they can still be considered for mobilisation.
It was also gathered that the Part II batch of the Nigerian Law School was expected to complete registration on or before August 19, 2026.
Related Article: ASUU strike: JAMB hasn’t cancelled any admission — Registrar
FAQs – Law Students, ASUU Strike and Nigerian Law School Mobilisation
Why are final-year law students worried about Law School mobilisation?
They are worried because the ongoing ASUU strike has halted academic activities, including the processing and approval of final-year results, which are required for mobilisation to the Nigerian Law School.
Which students are mainly affected by this situation?
Final-year law students in public universities, including students of Obafemi Awolowo University and other federal and state universities under ASUU, are mainly affected.
What is preventing the release of students’ results?
University officials explained that lecturers are on strike and academic work, including marking and Senate approval of results, cannot continue until the strike is suspended.
Can affected students still go to the Nigerian Law School in 2026?
According to student leaders, it is unlikely. Even if the strike ends immediately, many students may not meet the mobilisation timeline and could be deferred to the 2027 Law School intake.
Why is missing a Law School session a serious issue for law students?
In Nigeria, professional seniority in the legal profession is determined by the year of graduation from the Nigerian Law School. Missing a session automatically makes affected students juniors to their peers who proceed earlier.
