ASUU shuns FG, insists on strike over unresolved demands

After a lull in the wave of incessant strikes in the Nigerian public university system, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday declared a two-week warning strike, alleging federal government’s reluctance to meet their demands, despite efforts by federal government officials to meet with the union to avert the action.

The warning strike, which commences midnight yesterday, was announced by the National President of the union, Prof. Chris Piwuna, while briefing newsmen in Abuja, though another academic staff union in the university system, the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, said its members would be at their desks, as there was no reason for them to go on strike.

It was learned that having got wind of the union’s decision to embark on warning strike today, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, his counterpart in the Labour Ministry, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, immediately convened a meeting with the union officials who, it was learned, remained evasive last night.

Declaring the position of ASUU, Piwuna said the action became necessary because FG failed to meet their demands after a 14-day ultimatum earlier issued lapsed.

However,the National President of CONUA, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, also stated his union’s position in a chat with one of our correspondents yesterday.

But ASUU President, Piwuna, said if after the two-week warning strike, government failed to meet their demands, what would follow would be a total and comprehensive strike.

Prof. Piwuna said: “It is regrettable to note that nothing significant has happened since our last briefing on the eight issues in dispute.

‘’The unresolved issues include the conclusion and signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement; payment of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries; sustainable funding and revitalisation of public universities and an end to the victimisation of lecturers in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and FUTO and others.

Prof. Piwuna noted that despite several appeals and assurances from government officials, including a letter dated September 30, 2025, from the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, nothing tangible had been achieved.

He disclosed that the outcome of an emergency meeting of the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement Renegotiation Committee held on October 10 was disappointing, describing the documents presented by the government as “provocative and inconsistent” with previous drafts.

“The hurriedly packaged documents were a total departure from the spirit of the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated agreement and incapable of dousing industrial tension across campuses,” the ASUU president said.

“ASUU’s National Executive Council, NEC, has directed all its branches nationwide to withdraw their services effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, October 13, 2025,” he insisted.

Our members not on strike – CONUA

However, the National President of CONUA, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, told Vanguard that his union had no issue with the government to warrant it declaring a trade dispute.

While noting that ASUU’s strike could be counter-productive in the end, he said: “We held congresses across our branches nationwide recently and it was the decision of the members that there is nothing to declare a trade dispute for.

‘’We also held a meeting with the government team, which included the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, on September 11, 2025.

“We just want the vice chancellors of various universities and the federal government to respect our decision and take note that CONUA members nationwide are not on strike and we have not declared any,” he stated.