The long-standing conflict between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government of Nigeria has once again escalated, with the union declaring a two-week warning strike over what it described as the government’s continued neglect of education policy agreements and welfare promises to university lecturers.
ASUU’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the strike at a press briefing held on Sunday at the University of Abuja. He confirmed that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) had resolved to embark on a total and comprehensive warning strike beginning Monday, October 13, 2025, after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government.
According to Piwuna, “Compatriots of the press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on the 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.”
The union’s decision follows the breakdown of negotiations with the Federal Government despite several efforts to reach an understanding. Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier announced that the government was in the final phase of talks with ASUU and other tertiary education unions to address welfare, funding, and the implementation of the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU (FGN–ASUU) Agreement.
He noted that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration had released ₦50 billion for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and captured another ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for needs assessment projects across public universities.
However, the union’s leadership rejected the government’s new proposal, describing it as a “total departure” from agreed frameworks. Piwuna revealed that the proposal did not align with the revised draft earlier reviewed by the Yayale Ahmed Committee and therefore failed to meet the union’s expectations.
“The presentation to ASUU was a total departure from the letter and spirit of the review of the draft agreement submitted by the Yayale Ahmed committee to the ministry,” Piwuna stated, adding that the union would soon submit its own counter-proposal highlighting areas of “deliberate distortion, inconsistency, and flagrant disregard for extant laws.”
Okay News reports that ASUU’s core demands include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, release of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, revitalisation and sustainable funding of public universities, payment of promotion and salary arrears, and an end to the victimisation of lecturers at Lagos State University, Kogi State University (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
Sources within the Ministry of Education disclosed that the government had made several attempts to persuade the union before the strike declaration. “The minister made efforts to reach out to the leadership of the union, but they refused to pick up calls. A proposal was made, but they went ahead with the strike,” a ministry insider said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has vowed to enforce the “no-work, no-pay” policy in response to the strike. In a joint statement by the Minister of Education, Dr. Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, the government urged ASUU to reconsider its decision and return to the negotiation table.
“The ministers further stressed that the government has continued to prioritise the welfare of university staff and the stability of the academic calendar under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR,” the statement read.
“They, however, emphasised that the ‘no work, no pay’ policy remains an extant labour law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the government will be guided by this law should academic activities be disrupted in the nation’s universities.”
The statement added that dialogue remains the best and most sustainable route to resolving all outstanding issues in the education sector, noting that the government’s reform agenda seeks to enhance teaching and research conditions, promote institutional autonomy, and foster innovation within Nigerian universities.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to both ASUU and the government to resolve the dispute swiftly. The Assistant General Secretary of NANS, Adejuwon Emmanuel, warned that the strike could further disrupt the academic calendar and negatively affect millions of students.
“We have been monitoring developments surrounding the industrial action declared by ASUU over lingering issues with the Federal Government. Nigerian students have endured too many disruptions, and another strike will only worsen their hardship,” Emmanuel said.
He revealed that NANS President, Olushola Oladoja, had commenced consultations to mediate between both parties. “We commend both parties for previous dialogue efforts and urge them to once again embrace negotiation in the interest of the nation’s educational system,” he added.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) also weighed in, giving the Federal Government a six-week deadline to address its own demands. The union noted progress in discussions but warned that patience was running thin despite the government’s “good faith” efforts.
As the standoff between the Federal Government and ASUU intensifies, education stakeholders warn that Nigeria’s tertiary education system faces another period of instability unless urgent political will and accountability are brought to bear.
