The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government, cautioning that failure to address its long-standing demands may trigger another nationwide strike across public universities.
Professor Adeola Egbedokun, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU in Akure Zone, raised the alarm during a press conference at the Federal University Oye Ekiti, stressing that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has failed to respond to the union’s concerns despite several appeals over the past two years.
Egbedokun noted that ASUU’s grievances revolve around unimplemented aspects of the 2009 ASUU–Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Agreement, poor funding of Nigerian universities, revitalisation of the education sector, payment of salary arrears ranging from 25 to 35 percent, promotion stagnation for lecturers exceeding four years, and unremitted deductions affecting third-party obligations.
The ASUU leader said:
“We will fight back, and the consequences would be damning except the government takes a decisive step to attend to all our requests urgently. While we take note of the government’s planned meeting of August 28, 2025, let it be clear that the clock is ticking, and time is no longer on the government’s side.”
According to him, the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is keeping “all options on the table,” making it clear that the responsibility to avert industrial action rests with the government.
He further appealed to key stakeholders including the National Assembly, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), and traditional rulers to caution the Federal Government against pushing university lecturers into confrontation.
Professor Egbedokun added that the refusal of the government to act on the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation report, submitted in February 2025, represented a betrayal of trust and disregard for collective bargaining.
He also condemned the student loan scheme recently introduced by the Tinubu administration, describing it as a “sinister trap” that would plunge lecturers into deeper hardship.
okay.ng reports that ASUU members across the Akure zone held peaceful rallies earlier this week on their respective campuses as a symbolic move to test-run their next line of action should government neglect persist.
