ASUU Begins Two-Week Warning Strike After Rejecting FG’s Proposal

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commenced a two-week warning strike starting today, Monday, after its 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government expired on Sunday.

ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, announced the industrial action during a press briefing at the University of Abuja, citing the government’s failure to meet the union’s demands despite ongoing negotiations.

According to Piwuna, there was “nothing sufficient on the ground” to halt the union’s planned action. He directed all ASUU branches nationwide to withdraw their services beginning midnight, declaring that the strike would be “total and comprehensive.”

The move follows a breakdown in talks between ASUU and the Federal Government. The education minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier disclosed that the government released ₦50 billion for Earned Academic Allowances and captured another ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for university revitalization.

However, ASUU rejected the latest government proposal, describing it as “a total departure from the letter and spirit” of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement. The union accused the government of presenting “hurriedly packaged documents” that failed to address key issues.

ASUU’s demands include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries, release of third-party deductions, funding for university revitalization, and resolution of cases of lecturer victimization in some institutions.

In response, the Federal Government threatened to enforce the no work, no pay policy. The Ministry of Education, in a joint statement by Ministers Dr. Tunji Alausa and Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, urged ASUU to reconsider its decision, insisting that dialogue remains the best path to resolving disputes.

The statement emphasized that the government had made a “comprehensive offer” addressing key concerns, including welfare, institutional governance, and working conditions, while accusing ASUU of being uncooperative.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on both parties to return to the negotiation table. NANS Assistant General Secretary, Adejuwon Emmanuel, said the association is “deeply concerned” about the impact of another strike on students, warning that it would not “sit idly by if students’ education is once again jeopardised.”

In a related development, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has given the government a six-week ultimatum to address its own demands, citing progress in discussions with the Education Ministry.

ASUU’s warning strike marks another round of tension in Nigeria’s public university system, raising fears of fresh disruptions to the academic calendar.