ASUU Gives FG 14-Day Ultimatum Over Lingering University Crisis
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has handed the federal government a 14-day ultimatum to address unresolved challenges bedeviling Nigeria’s university system or risk a nationwide shutdown of campuses.
PulseNets learnt that this development was contained in a communiqué obtained at the end of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which held at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly known as the University of Abuja.
A statement on the outcome of the meeting was made public on Monday in Abuja by ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna.
According to Mr. Piwuna, the ultimatum became inevitable due to what he described as persistent neglect of both the education sector and the welfare of lecturers by successive federal and state governments.
He told PulseNets that,
“If after 14 days the government fails to act decisively on these matters, the union will have no choice but to commence with a two-week warning strike and, if necessary, proceed to an indefinite strike.”
Mr. Piwuna recalled that over the past three months, ASUU had consistently engaged through the media, organized campus rallies, and issued appeals, yet no tangible response had been recorded from the government.
He listed the unresolved issues to include the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable funding mechanisms, revitalisation of public universities, and the non-payment of outstanding 25 to 35 percent salary arrears.
Other grey areas, he reported, are the long-standing promotion arrears spanning more than four years, non-remittance of third-party deductions, and what he described as the continued victimisation of ASUU members in LASU, KSU, and FUTO.
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The ASUU president urged Nigerians across board—including parents, students, religious leaders, and traditional rulers—to mount pressure on government to prevent the looming disruption.
He told PulseNets,
“This 14-day ultimatum is not a threat but a clear alarm to the Nigerian government. We are convinced the federal government has both the capacity and the financial muscle to fix our universities once and for all. As the old saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine.”
