ASUU Rejects FG’s Last-Minute Appeal, Prepares for October 13 Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticized the Federal Government’s late appeal to halt its planned warning strike, describing the intervention as “a little too late.” ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, made the comments during an interview on Channels Television, highlighting the government’s slow response to the union’s prolonged grievances. Despite a three-week deadline given to the government to resolve outstanding issues following a meeting in Sokoto, ASUU received no communication until barely two working days before the strike was set to begin.

Prof. Piwuna emphasized that the government had failed to act on the union’s long-standing demands, including implementation of the unresolved 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, which remains under negotiation after eight years. “Our 2009 agreement still remains undone, and two working days before a strike action, you come to appeal to us. I think the appeal has come a little too late,” he stated.

The union insists its ultimatum will expire on Sunday, October 13, after which a two-week nationwide warning strike will commence unless the Federal Government presents a substantive offer addressing their demands. ASUU has mobilized branches nationwide to prepare for the strike, underscoring the seriousness of the ongoing dispute.

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Meanwhile, the Federal Government has disclosed it is in the final phase of talks with ASUU and other tertiary education unions, aiming to resolve the lingering welfare and funding issues. Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa announced the creation of an expanded negotiation committee intended to streamline discussions and has highlighted the release of N50 billion towards earned allowances and the allocation of N150 billion in the 2025 budget for university needs assessments. Despite these developments, ASUU remains cautious but hopeful of a meaningful resolution before the ultimatum expires.

This deadlock underscores mounting tensions between Nigerian university lecturers and the government as the academic year faces potential disruption once more amid unresolved funding and welfare issues in the tertiary education sector .