ASUU declares two-week warning strike over unresolved demands

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has declared a two-week warning strike in the nation’s public universities, alleging federal government’s reluctance to meet their demands. The warning strike, which commences midnight Sunday, was announced by the National President of the union, Prof. Chris Piwuna, while briefing newsmen in Abuja. However, another academic staff union in the university system, the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, said its members would be on their desks, as there is no reason for them to go on strike. The National President of CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, stated this in a chat with one of our correspondents on Sunday. Declaring the position of ASUU, Piwuna said the action became necessary because the FG failed to meet their demands after a 14-day ultimatum earlier issued lapsed.
The ASUU President said after the two-week warning strike, and the government fails to meet their demands, what would follow would be a total and comprehensive strike. Prof. Piwuna explained that the action became necessary to draw attention to the government’s persistent refusal to implement agreements and address critical issues affecting Nigerian universities. “It is regrettable to note that nothing significant has happened since our last briefing on the eight issues in dispute,” he said. The unresolved issues include: ”The conclusion and signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement; payment of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries; sustainable funding and revitalization of public universities and end to the victimization of lecturers in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and FUTO, Others are :”Settlement of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears; payment of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union dues. Prof. Piwuna noted that despite several appeals and assurances from government officials, including a letter dated September 30, 2025, from the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, nothing tangible had been achieved. He said that the outcome of an emergency meeting of the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement Renegotiation Committee held on October 10 was disappointing, describing the documents presented by the government as “provocative and inconsistent” with previous drafts.
“The hurriedly packaged documents were a total departure from the spirit of the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated agreement and incapable of dousing industrial tension across campuses,” the ASUU president said. ASUU accused the government of bad faith and deliberate delay tactics, lamenting that months of negotiation had yielded no results. It is a betrayal of historic responsibility if we continue to fall for the government’s deception and manipulation,” Piwuna declared. “What is needed is the fundamental transformation of our university system, not token promises, “he said.  The union appealed for understanding from students, parents, and the public, stressing that its struggle was aimed at saving Nigeria’s university system from collapse. “We invite patriotic Nigerians, workers, media practitioners, and civil society activists to join ASUU in this transformational mission,” the statement added. ASUU’s National Executive Council ,NEC, has directed all its branches nationwide to withdraw their services effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, October 13, 2025,” he insisted.
Speaking on the development, the National Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Comrade Adeyemi Samson Ajasa, explained the steps taken by the association to avert the current situation. “While the back and forth between the ASUU and the government was on before the declaration of tbe warning strike, NANS made spirited efforts at averting the strike by liaising with both sides. The current National President of NANS is from the University of Jos, just like the current National President of ASUU. We tried to exploit that. We also met with the Honourable Minister of Education on the matter, he said. Commenting on what the student body would want the parties to do, Ajasa called for a quick resolution of the dispute. Our hope is that even before the two-week warning strike ends, the issues involved would have been resolved. We don’t want a situation where the dispute would degenerate to a full blown strike that could be endless. If we assess the situation too, the demands are also for the betterment of the university education too,” he added.