The Federal Government of Nigeria has opened new negotiation meetings with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) after the union’s one-month strike ultimatum expired on Saturday, raising concerns over a possible shutdown of public universities.
Okay News reports that the ASUU strike talks scheduled for Monday and Tuesday are aimed at addressing unresolved demands that prompted the union’s earlier two-week warning strike suspended on 22 October.
The warning strike had given the Nigerian government a 30-day window to implement key issues, including the review of the 2009 ASUU–Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned academic allowances, and the release of funds for the revitalisation of federal universities.
A senior member of ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC), who spoke anonymously to local media, accused the government of using “delay tactics,” explaining that the union had expected to declare action on Friday but held back pending the outcome of this week’s ASUU strike talks.
The official said the NEC would convene immediately after the discussions with the government to determine the union’s next steps, including whether to declare a nationwide industrial action.
Okay News reports that tension remains high across Nigeria’s public universities as lecturers and students anticipate the results of the renewed engagement, which many hope will resolve long-standing disputes.
Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, insisted that the government has met ASUU’s major demands. He reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive that there must be no further disruptions to the academic calendar, stressing that the last six-day strike “was not necessary.”
Alausa added that the government is making every effort to keep students in school, noting that preventing another shutdown is a top policy priority under the ongoing ASUU strike talks.
Stakeholders across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector continue to watch developments closely, hoping that dialogue between the Federal Government and ASUU will avert a fresh nationwide strike and pave the way for longer-term reforms in university funding and governance.
