ABUJA, NIGERIA — Academic activities in Nigeria's public universities came to an abrupt halt today as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) commenced a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike, effective midnight, Monday, October 13, 2025. The decision, announced by the union's leadership on Sunday, followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government.
The strike is intended to protest the government's alleged failure to meet long-standing demands, chief among them the conclusion and signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement. Other key issues driving the industrial action include the payment of three-and-a-half months' withheld salaries, the settlement of outstanding 25–35 per cent salary arrears and promotion arrears, sustainable funding and revitalisation of public universities, and the release of withheld third-party deductions.
ASUU's National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, addressed the press in Abuja on Sunday, directing all union branches to withdraw their services. Professor Piwuna expressed disappointment over the outcome of an emergency meeting with the Federal Government/ASUU 2009 Agreement Renegotiation Committee on Friday, October 10, describing the government's presented documents as a "total departure from the letter and spirit" of the previous draft agreement and "provocative". He maintained that despite the engagements, there was "nothing sufficient on the ground" to avert the strike, which he warned could be extended if concrete steps were not taken within the two-week window.
The Federal Government, however, has strongly refuted ASUU's claims, insisting that it has met virtually all the union's demands. On Monday, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, appealed to the lecturers to suspend the strike, stating there was "no need for this strike".
During a national broadcast interview, Dr. Alausa outlined the administration's interventions, including the approval and payment of ₦50 billion in Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and the mainstreaming of EAA into lecturers' salaries to prevent future arrears. He also highlighted the approval of ₦150 billion for Needs Assessment, with the first tranche of ₦50 billion already released into the designated account, as part of a commitment to disburse the funds in three tranches. Dr. Alausa said, “We have addressed every single request by ASUU," and noted that the few remaining matters fall under the jurisdiction of individual university governing councils.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, Dr. Alausa and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sai'd Ahmad, called for the union to return to dialogue, but also reminded ASUU that the principle of "No Work, No Pay" remains an extant labour law which the government will be forced to invoke should the strike continue.
As public university gates remain shut, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to both parties to resume negotiations immediately. The students' body acknowledged ASUU's legitimate concerns but urged the union to avoid actions that jeopardise the academic calendar, stressing that students should remain the priority in the dispute. Meanwhile, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), a rival union, announced on Sunday that its members would not be joining the industrial action, stating they had no trade dispute with the government that warranted a strike.