.Nothing sufficient on ground to avert industrial action, says national president, Piwuna
.As lecturers meet student leaders, justify action
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU on Sunday declared a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in the country.
The announcement was made by the National President of the Union, Prof. Chris Piwuna, at an ongoing press briefing in Abuja at the University of Abuja.
“Compatriots of the press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on ground to stop the implementation of the ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14-day notice given on the 28th September 2025.
“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday, the 13th October, 2025.
“The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting,” Piwuna said.
ASUU had on September 28, issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government to address lingering issues affecting the nation’s universities or risk another round of strike action.
The decision followed a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja.
ASUU National President, Piwuna, in a statement made available, had accused the government of neglecting the university system and refusing to honour past agreements.
“At the NEC meeting held at the University of Abuja on September 28, 2025, the Union decried the neglect of the university system and the government’s consistent refusal to heed its demands.
“Accordingly, ASUU has given the Federal Government an ultimatum of fourteen (14) days within which to address these issues. If at the end of the ultimatum the government fails to respond, the Union may have no option but to embark on a two-week warning strike, which could escalate into a total and indefinite strike,” Piwuna stated.
The union’s long-standing demands include the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, adequate revitalisation funds for universities, payment of outstanding salary arrears, and the establishment of sustainable funding mechanisms for the sector.
The Ministry of Education had recently set up a committee chaired by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, to review ASUU’s proposals in an effort to forestall further disruptions in the university system. However, the committee has yet to announce any decision.
As part of efforts to avert a looming strike by ASUU and keep students in schools, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, constituted an Expanded Negotiation Committee to fast-track agreements with all unions in tertiary institutions.
Alausa, highlighted the federal government’s N200 billion intervention effort, which includes N50 billion already released for Earned Academic Allowances and N150 billion provided in the 2025 budget for university revitalisation projects, as clear evidence of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to addressing the long-standing issues in the sector.
The Minister said after a meeting of the Technical Working Group in Abuja, he reaffirmed Tinubu’s directive that Nigerian students must remain in school while all outstanding issues with university unions are resolved through dialogue.
“The directive President Bola Tinubu gave us is that our children must be in school. We should do everything humanly possible to avert a strike.
“At this point, we’ve addressed several of the issues raised by the unions. The Earned Academic Allowance has been paid; the President released N50 billion months ago,” the Minister said.
Speaking further Alausa said: “Even the needs assessment that tertiary institutions have been fighting for almost 15 years, the President put N150 billion in this 2025 budget. He promised that it will be released in three tranches of N50 billion each, and the first tranche is already waiting.”
He added that the government’s actions demonstrate sincerity and readiness to meet its obligations, describing the intervention as part of a comprehensive effort to restore stability and mutual trust in the higher education system.
Alausa also revealed that the federal government has collapsed all separate negotiation platforms into a single expanded negotiation committee – the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institution Expanded Negotiation Committee – to engage all tertiary institutions and their unions under one coordinated structure.
The minister appealed to ASUU and other tertiary education unions to remain patient and maintain dialogue as the government addresses their long-standing concerns.
“Don’t use strike as your first resort. We know you’ve been patient, but these are issues that built up over decades. This President believes fervently and benevolently in education and has given us all the political will to resolve this problem once and for all,” Alausa said.
Also, ASUU has called for a legislation of five to 10 years of existence of institutions to qualify to access of funds from TETFUND.
The lecturers’ union said the primary aim of establishing the fund has been abused over the years and with new institutions which it refers to as community and constituency projects benefitting from it without proper planning and take off budgets.
It also faulted the support of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND by TETFUND, saying deliberate efforts must be put in place to ensure that the intervention agency was not over stretched in its activities, and primarily in the motive for the establishment of the Fund.
Meanwhile, the University of Jos Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has explained the rationale for the industrial action.
The meeting, held on Friday in Jos, was convened by the union’s Students Relations Committee.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Jurbe Molwus, Chairperson of the union, thanked student leaders for providing ASUU the opportunity to engage with them.
He said the meeting was aimed at drawing the attention of key stakeholders to the Federal Government’s continued failure to address the union’s demands.
Molwus added that the session was also meant to inform students about the union’s efforts toward achieving a more functional and sustainable university system in Nigeria.
“Let me remind the general public that ASUU is worried that it may no longer be able to guarantee the industrial harmony that has been enjoyed over the last two years.
“No doubt, the federal government is proud of ASUU for sustaining such tempo.
“But that has been achieved at the detriment of the welfare and wellbeing of our ever resilient members who have suffered persistent denial of their due entitlements.
“We have issued a 14-day ultimatum, which elapses on Oct. 13, and if government fails to satisfactorily address our demands, without further notice, we will proceed on a two-week warning strike,”he said.
Molwus explained that the the decision to embark on the strike stemmed out of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Sept. 28 in Abuja.
The chairperson said that ASUU’s demands were not personal, but one aimed at strengthening the quality of university education in the country.
“Some of these demands are the immediate release of the revitalisation fund as captured in the budget and signing and implementation of the 2009 agreement reached with the government
“Our demands also include, payment of promotion arrears of responsibility allowance held by the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and reinstatement of our victimised members in some state and federal universities.
“Other demands are payment of 23/35 per cent wage awards to members, payment of withheld three months salaries of members, among others,”he said.
Speaking, Miss Jane Pwajok, the President, Student Union Government (SUG) of the university, commended ASUU for convening the meeting with the students.
She explained that the meeting served as an eye opener, adding that it gave the students a better perspective on lingering issues between ASUU and the government.
The president further commended ASUU for its longstanding struggle to improve and ensure quality in Nigeria’s university system.
She, however, called on the union to seek alternative means of pressing home its demand aside from the planned industrial action.
