ASUU Declares Two-Week Warning Strike Over Unmet Demands

ASUU calls for action on education hardships in Nigeria

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a two-week warning strike beginning Monday, October 13, 2025, to press for the resolution of its long-standing demands by the Federal Government.

President of ASUU, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement on Sunday during a news conference in Abuja. He directed members of the union across all branches to withdraw their services starting from midnight.

According to Piwuna, the strike follows the expiration of the two-week ultimatum earlier given to the Federal Government to address the union’s demands. He disclosed that the recent meeting with government representatives yielded no meaningful outcome, stating that what was offered was insufficient to halt the strike.

“It goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on ground to stop the implementation of ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14 days notice given on September 28, 2025. Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025,” he stated.

ASUU’s major demands include the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, improved funding and revitalisation of public universities, and an end to the alleged victimisation of union members at Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University (Prince Abubakar Audu University), and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), among others.

The declaration of the warning strike comes despite appeals from the Federal Government for the union to reconsider its decision. Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, had earlier urged ASUU to shelve the proposed strike, assuring that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration remains committed to resolving all lingering issues in a holistic manner.

Alausa stated that President Tinubu had instructed that all necessary steps be taken to prevent the strike, emphasizing the government’s commitment to keeping students in school. “There is no basis for ASUU or any other staff union in tertiary institutions to embark on industrial action. The directive of the President is clear; strike must be averted for Nigerian children to remain in school,” he said.

It would be recalled that ASUU had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum during its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on September 28, 2025, at the University of Abuja. The Federal Government, through the Yayale Ahmed-led Negotiating Committee, had promised to engage the union to resolve the outstanding issues, including the implementation of Earned Academic Allowances and revitalisation funds.

The government also noted that N50 billion had already been released for Earned Academic Allowances, while N150 billion was included in the 2025 budget for university revitalisation. It further assured that promotion arrears for lecturers would be captured in the 2026 budget.

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