The announcement, made by ASUU President Prof. Chris Piwuna during an orientation and leadership training at the Niger Delta University branch in Amassoma, Bayelsa State, signals escalating frustration after over eight years of stalled negotiations.

Prof. Piwuna, speaking on the theme “Understanding the Principles of the Union,” emphasized that the union’s position is non-negotiable at this stage. 

“The warning strike has been issued and we are not meeting to discuss that again as a union because our position has been taken,” he stated. 

“By midnight of Monday [October 13], we will embark on a two-week warning strike, after which we will meet after the expiration to decide when to begin an indefinite and comprehensive strike action.”  

He urged members to mobilize fully, framing the action as a fight for lecturers’ welfare, curbing the “Japa” syndrome, mass emigration of skilled professionals and revitalizing Nigeria’s university system for global competitiveness.   

The core demand centers on the renegotiation and implementation of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement, a document transmitted to authorities in February 2025 following an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on September 29. 

Other unresolved issues include improved funding for public universities, better staff remuneration amid rising inflation, and opposition to student loans under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). 

Piwuna criticized NELFUND’s N14 billion personnel expenditure for an agency with fewer than 100 staff, contrasting it with underfunded universities employing thousands.  

“We have told the government that we do not support loans in such a depressed economy,” he added. “If they truly want to give them money… they should be given as grants, not loans.”  

This follows a 14-day ultimatum issued on September 29, after branch referendums overwhelmingly supported industrial action due to the government’s “persistent neglect” of the education sector. 

In a memo dated October 5 to all branches, Piwuna lamented the lack of “meaningful development” from authorities, despite the ultimatum’s midpoint passing without response.  

“It is now one week since those resolutions were reached and communicated… I regret to inform you that there is no meaningful development deserving any consideration,” he wrote.