ABUJA: The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike, bringing academic activities across all public universities in Nigeria to a halt.
The union’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement on Sunday during a press conference held at the University of Abuja.
Piwuna said the decision followed the expiration of ASUU’s 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government on September 28, 2025, noting that there had been “no meaningful progress” to avert the strike.
All branches across the country have been directed to commence a full withdrawal of services beginning at midnight, Monday, October 13, 2025, Piwuna stated.
He explained that the warning strike would be total and comprehensive, in line with resolutions reached during the union’s most recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
ASUU said its decision was prompted by the government’s continued neglect of the university system and failure to fulfill long-standing agreements, including the 2009 renegotiated agreement on funding and lecturers’ welfare.
The union recalled that in August 2025, its members had held peaceful rallies across federal and state universities to draw attention to the government’s inaction, but their efforts yielded no results.
“Both the federal and state governments have shown a consistent habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector and the welfare of academics,” ASUU said in its statement.
In a bid to prevent the strike, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had on Wednesday appealed to ASUU to shelve its planned action, assuring that the government was already addressing key issues raised by the union.
Alausa revealed that the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to fast-track talks with academic and non-academic unions.
He also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had directed that all efforts be made to avoid further disruptions in the nation’s higher institutions.
However, ASUU dismissed the government’s plea, describing it as a little too late.
The Ministry of Education is always slow to act, Piwuna said in an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
We waited three weeks after their last meeting but heard nothing. Now, two days before our deadline, they suddenly appeal for calm.
ASUU has repeatedly accused the government of reneging on commitments made in past negotiations, including revitalization funds for universities, earned academic allowances, and improved working conditions for lecturers.
Piwuna reiterated that until the government shows genuine commitment to addressing these demands, the union will continue to use industrial action as a last resort.
“Our members have shown enough patience, he said. What we seek is not luxury, it’s the minimum needed for a functional university system that benefits students and the nation.
ASUU’s latest strike adds to a long list of industrial actions that have disrupted academic calendars in Nigerian universities over the years.
The union maintains that its actions are aimed at protecting the future of tertiary education in the country.
The warning strike, which begins on October 13, will last two weeks unless the federal government takes immediate and concrete steps to meet the union’s demands.
