ASUU Suspends Two-Week Warning Strike, Gives FG One Month to Meet Demands

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 FGN/ASUU Agreement and address other lingering issues affecting Nigeria’s university system.

Announcing the development at a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the union’s decision followed productive engagements with the Federal Government and interventions by the National Assembly.

Piwuna recalled that ASUU had declared the warning strike on October 13, 2025, due to what he described as the government’s persistent neglect of its obligations regarding the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement and welfare matters affecting lecturers.

“When we gathered here about 10 days ago to painfully 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,” Piwuna said.

He disclosed that following the commencement of the strike, the Federal Government re-engaged the union through a team led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, which met with ASUU representatives on October 16 and 18 to discuss the government’s response to the draft renegotiated agreement.

While acknowledging that the talks did not resolve all issues, Piwuna said notable progress had been achieved compared to the pre-strike period.

“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 stated.

The ASUU president also commended the mediation efforts of the Senate Committees on Tertiary Education and TETFund, Labour, and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, saying their involvement helped rekindle hope for a lasting solution.

Following an emergency meeting of ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) held from October 21 to 22, 2025, the union resolved that the warning strike had achieved part of its purpose — particularly by compelling the government to return to the negotiation table.

“While noting that more work remains to be done, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to allow for a conducive atmosphere for further engagement,” Piwuna said.

He added that the decision was made in consideration of students, parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other Nigerians who had expressed solidarity during the dispute.

However, Piwuna warned that if the government fails to resolve the outstanding issues within the one-month grace period, ASUU would have no choice but to resume strike action without further notice.

“The struggle continues,” he declared, urging Nigerians to prevail on the government to honour its commitments and safeguard industrial harmony in the education sector.

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