The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given the Federal Government 14 days ultimatum within which to act fast on its demands or face a full blown strike.
The union said that for the past three months, the contentious issues have been debated and combated in the media and other platforms.
Among the issues include the Re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement; Sustainable funding of our universities; Revitalization of universities; Victimization of the Colleges in Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University (KSU), now Prince Abubakar Audu University); Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Outstanding 25-35% salary areas; Promotion Areas for over 4 years and Third-party deductions.
The President of ASUU, Prof Christopher Piwuna, made the announcement in a statement titled, “Notice Of Strike Action”, sent to Arise News in Abuja on Monday.
The statement reads, “Dear Compatriots of the Press. You will recall that in recent times, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been engaging the press very frequently. The obvious reason has been to draw the attention of the Nigerian Government and members of the general public to the declining fortunes of university education and its implications for the nation’s desire for transformative and lasting development.
“Apart from engagement with the press, in the month of August 2025, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in both Federal and State universities held rallies, carrying placards, on their campuses in order to press the Government to address the lingering issues in the university system. Nothing came out of all these rallies and pleas. What is clear for now is that both the Federal and State Governments have a strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector in general and the welfare of university academics in particular.
“At the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja on the 28th of September, 2025, the Union decried the neglect of the University system and the
Government’s consistent refusal to heed to its demands.
“Accordingly, ASUU has given the Federal Government of Nigeria an Ultimatum of fourteen (14) days within which to address these issues. If at the end of the fourteen days ultimatum, the Federal Government fails to address these issues, the Union may have no option than to, first, embark on a two-week warning strike and thereafter, a total and indefinite strike.
“Gentlemen of the press, it is over sixteen years now since ASUU has brought these issues to the media and the public domain. It means therefore that these issues are not new to you and the general public. For the past three months, ASUU has mentioned these issues at both the National, Zonal and Branch levels.
“For the past three months, these issues have been debated and combated in the media and other platforms. For the benefit of the doubt, they include the following:
“Great compatriots, ASUU is confident that the Nigerian leadership has the capacity to fix Nigerian Universities once and for all. ASUU also believes strongly that the Nigerian Government has the financial strength to tackle the problem of University education in Nigeria. We are therefore calling on all well-meaning Nigerian citizens, religious and traditional rulers, parents, students, and all other stakeholders in the education sector to press the Nigerian Government to turn its attention to Nigerian public universities. The time to do that is right now. There is this common logic that; a pilot who hears an alarm of danger would refuse to fly so as to avoid a crash. The fourteen (14) days ultimatum therefore is an alarm to the Nigerian Government and ASUU as a Union believes that the Government has the muscle to avert this looming strike. As they say in English: a stitch in time saves nine. The struggle continues!”
Friday Olokor
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