The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has begun a two-week warning strike today, Monday, October 13, 2025, after rejecting the latest proposal from the Federal Government.
The union’s National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, announced the strike on Sunday during a press briefing at the University of Abuja. He said the decision followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the government.
“Compatriots of the press, there is nothing sufficient on the ground to stop the implementation of ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike. All branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday,” Piwuna said.
The union accused the government of failing to meet its long-standing demands, which include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, release of withheld salaries, improved funding of public universities, payment of arrears, and an end to the alleged victimisation of lecturers in some universities.
Prof. Piwuna explained that ASUU rejected the government’s new proposal because it failed to address the key issues raised by the union.
“The presentation to ASUU was a total departure from the letter and spirit of the draft agreement. The hurriedly packaged documents were provocative and incapable of dousing industrial tensions,” he said.
Government officials, however, said they were disappointed by the union’s decision to go on strike. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, in a joint statement on Sunday night, urged ASUU to return to the negotiation table.
“The government has made a comprehensive offer to the union and is still awaiting ASUU’s official response. Dialogue remains the most effective and sustainable path to resolving disagreements,” the statement read.
The ministers also warned that the “no work, no pay” policy would be enforced if the strike continues. They added that the government had already released ₦50 billion for Earned Academic Allowances and included another ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for university revitalisation.
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Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to both ASUU and the government to resolve their differences without further disrupting academic activities.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, NANS Assistant General Secretary, Adejuwon Emmanuel, said the students were deeply worried about the impact of another strike.
“Nigerian students have endured too many disruptions. Another strike will only worsen their hardship,” he said.
Adejuwon added that the NANS President, Olushola Oladoja, had already started mediating between the two sides.
“We commend both parties for previous dialogue efforts and urge them to embrace negotiation in the interest of the nation’s education system,” he said.
In a related development, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has given the Federal Government a six-week deadline to meet its demands. The polytechnic lecturers said they decided to suspend their planned strike because of the government’s recent efforts to address some of their issues.