The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week warning strike, granting the Federal Government a one-month grace period to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FG-ASUU Agreement and address other lingering issues affecting the nation’s university system.
The suspension, announced after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, marks yet another chapter in the long history of industrial disputes between ASUU and the government. In the last 26 years, the union has embarked on 18 strikes—disrupting academic activities for over 1,130 days.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, told journalists that the union would not hesitate to resume its strike if the government fails to meet its demands within the stipulated one month.
“Our demands include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s 2021 draft, payment of withheld three-and-half months’ salaries from the 2022 strike, and settlement of unpaid wages for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS),” Piwuna said.
He also listed the release of outstanding third-party deductions—pension, check-off dues, and cooperative contributions—funding for the revitalisation of public universities, and payment of arrears of the 25–35 percent salary award for 12 months as key demands.
Piwuna noted that the warning strike, declared on October 13, 2025, was a painful but necessary decision. “When we gathered here about 10 days ago to declare a warning strike, it was a decision that left us with no other choice. The government had ignored our repeated overtures to address issues critical to the survival of Nigeria’s public universities,” he said.
Following the strike, the Federal Government re-engaged ASUU through a negotiation team led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, which met with union representatives on October 16 and 18. Piwuna acknowledged that while not all issues had been resolved, progress was made. “We have not achieved all our objectives, but we are certainly not where we were before the strike began. This shows that had the government responded earlier, there would have been no need for the action,” he said.
On the government’s part, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, insisted that there was no justification for the industrial action, noting that the Tinubu administration had made significant commitments to revitalising tertiary education.
According to Alausa, the 2025 federal budget earmarks ₦683 billion for infrastructure development in universities, including rehabilitation of hostels, lecture theatres, laboratories, and workshops. He added that the government has mobilised additional funds for medical schools, staff training, and student support through various interventions.
The minister further announced the release of ₦2.3 billion to clear outstanding salary and promotion arrears owed to lecturers, describing it as part of President Bola Tinubu’s effort to resolve long-standing welfare issues in the sector transparently and sustainably.
He said, “Negotiations are being conducted sincerely, mutually, and respectfully. Our priority is to ensure all matters are addressed responsibly and within budgetary provisions to guarantee long-term stability.”
While ASUU’s demands for better funding, wages, and infrastructure are legitimate, its methods—especially repeated strikes—remain contentious. Frequent disruptions have eroded public confidence in the university system, leaving students uncertain about their academic futures.
For sustainable peace, both the government and ASUU must embrace sincere dialogue, structured arbitration, and transparent implementation of agreements. Beyond rhetoric, education must be treated as a national emergency, not a political bargaining chip.
Every lost academic month is a wound that never fully heals. As the clock ticks toward ASUU’s one-month deadline, the task before both parties is clear: replace confrontation with collaboration, and ensure that Nigeria’s universities remain centers of learning—not battlegrounds for broken promises.