ASUU Declares 2-Week Warning Strike Over Government’s Failure to Meet Demands
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a two-week warning strike to begin at midnight on Sunday, in a renewed move to pressure the Federal Government into addressing its unresolved obligations to the union.
At a press conference held at the union’s national secretariat, University of Abuja, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, explained that the decision followed what the union described as the government’s “persistent insincerity and deliberate delay” in honouring past agreements.
Piwuna, who spoke to PulseNets shortly after the meeting, revealed that the action was meant to serve as a final reminder for the government to conclude negotiations on key outstanding issues. These, he said, include the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, adequate funding for public universities, and the payment of withheld salaries and earned academic allowances.
“The patience of our members has been stretched beyond reasonable limits,” Piwuna told PulseNets. “We have continued to engage in good faith, but the government’s posture leaves us with no other option but to act. This warning strike is a call for responsibility, not rebellion.”
He further directed all ASUU branches nationwide to suspend academic activities with immediate effect, stressing that lecturers should remain off duties until further communication from the national leadership or until the two-week window lapses.
“We want to make it clear that this action is not targeted at students or parents,” the ASUU leader emphasized. “Our fight is for the soul of public university education in Nigeria. The government must be held accountable for this disruption.”
Documents obtained by PulseNets show that the latest strike decision followed weeks of failed meetings between the union’s negotiation team and government officials. Insiders told PulseNets that the talks had stalled over disagreements regarding the implementation timeline of earlier promises.
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This latest development adds to ASUU’s long-running confrontation with the federal government over issues bordering on university funding, staff welfare, and institutional autonomy — challenges that have historically triggered prolonged shutdowns across campuses, disrupting the academic calendar and heightening uncertainty in Nigeria’s education sector.
