The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a two-week warning strike beginning at midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025, in protest against what it describes as the Federal Government’s continued disregard for long-standing agreements and unresolved issues in Nigeria’s public university system.
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The decision was made public during an emergency press briefing held on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at ASUU’s Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja.
Addressing the media, ASUU President, Professor Chris Iwuona, expressed disappointment that the Federal Government failed to act on the union’s 14-day ultimatum issued on September 28, 2025. He lamented that the government’s silence and lack of commitment to critical educational matters left the union with no choice but to proceed with industrial action.
According to Iwuona, the emergency briefing was necessary to update Nigerians on the union’s dealings with the government and to clarify any misunderstandings regarding the earlier strike notice issued by its National Executive Council (NEC). He noted that ASUU had made it clear that failure to meet its demands within two weeks would trigger a warning strike.
Among the key unresolved issues are the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, payment of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries, improved funding for public universities, revitalization of university infrastructure, and an end to the victimization of lecturers at several institutions, including LASU, Kogi State University, and FUTO. The union is also demanding payment of outstanding salary arrears, promotion arrears, and withheld deductions such as cooperative funds and union dues.
Iwuona revealed that although the Ministry of Education, through its Permanent Secretary, had written to appeal for patience—citing the ongoing renegotiation process and promising feedback upon the return of the Renegotiation Committee Chairman, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed—no tangible progress has been made.
ASUU expressed particular frustration with the government’s presentation at an emergency meeting of the renegotiation committee on October 10, describing it as vague and inconsistent with previously agreed terms. Iwuona accused the government of watering down earlier agreements and introducing new documents that contradict the spirit of prior negotiations.
He further alleged that the government was deliberately employing delay tactics. “How can a negotiation process that has lasted over eight years suddenly be treated as an ‘emergency’?” he asked. “These so-called appeals for patience are simply strategies to keep us talking without results.”
The ASUU president stated that the union could no longer stand by while the quality of education deteriorates and lecturers continue to face poor working conditions. “This strike is not about allowances or personal gain,” he stressed. “It’s about restoring dignity, integrity, and excellence in Nigeria’s universities.”
Iwuona explained that during the August 2025 NEC meeting at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, the union had agreed to a government request for a three-week grace period to resolve the pending issues—but nothing came of it.
ASUU accused the government of bad faith, noting that previously agreed documents have been ignored and replaced with diluted proposals that fail to address the realities of Nigeria’s higher education system.
The union appealed to students, parents, and the public for understanding, describing the strike as a necessary sacrifice to save Nigeria’s public universities from collapse. It called on civil society groups, organized labor, and the media to support its struggle for a reformed and revitalized education sector.
Professor Iwuona confirmed that all ASUU branches across the country had been directed to fully comply with the two-week warning strike starting 12:01 a.m. on October 13. No academic activity, he said, would take place during this period.
ASUU reaffirmed its commitment to defending academic freedom, university autonomy, and the welfare of scholars nationwide, while criticizing the government’s lack of seriousness in resolving issues that have repeatedly disrupted academic calendars.
“Long live ASUU, long live the Nigerian university system, and long live Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
The strike marks another chapter in the ongoing standoff between ASUU and the Federal Government — a recurring battle over the future and sustainability of public education in Nigeria.
