ASUU Strike Deepens as Union Holds NEC Meeting; NLC Threatens Nationwide Shutdown
The national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to hold a decisive meeting today, Tuesday, to review its stance on the ongoing nationwide strike by university lecturers.
PulseNets learnt that the development follows the Federal Government’s latest engagement with the union, where the Renegotiation Team, chaired by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, reportedly presented a formal written response and made certain offers addressing some of ASUU’s long-standing demands.
In a strike bulletin obtained by PulseNets on Monday, ASUU acknowledged modest progress in a few areas — including the release of third-party deductions, payment of promotion arrears, mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), the issue of confiscated University of Abuja land, and the reported victimization of members in Kogi State University (KSU), Lagos State University (LASU), and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
Meanwhile, branch congresses were held across various campuses on Monday, where members voted on whether to suspend or continue the ongoing industrial action. PulseNets gathered that the majority of branches expressed preference for the continuation of the strike, suggesting that the union is not yet ready to back down.
Recall that ASUU had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government for the conclusion and full implementation of the renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, alongside other unresolved welfare and institutional concerns.
However, insiders told PulseNets that despite the government’s gestures, lecturers across several institutions—including the University of Abuja, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Awka), and the University of Nigeria (Nsukka)—voted overwhelmingly to sustain the strike.
One senior ASUU official, who spoke to PulseNets under condition of anonymity, explained:
“You know ASUU matters are usually sensitive and not everything can go public. Congresses are being held nationwide today ahead of the NEC meeting tomorrow (Tuesday). Here in our branch, almost everyone voted for the strike to continue — it’s more or less a formality now. We’re only waiting for the NEC to make our decision official.”
NLC Threatens Nationwide Shutdown
In a related development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a fresh four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve all outstanding issues with ASUU and other tertiary institution unions or face a nationwide shutdown.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, made this known in Abuja on Monday after a joint session with leaders of tertiary-based unions. He stated clearly:
“The government has four weeks to address every unresolved issue — including the 2009 ASUU agreement. Failure to do so means labour will have no choice but to embark on an indefinite strike.”
Ajaero, who addressed the press at the Labour House with union leaders in attendance, insisted that the persistent disregard for agreements and welfare concerns of academic staff was unacceptable.
Education Expert Faults Government’s “Passive Attitude”
Reacting to the lingering crisis, Nduka Odo, a public affairs analyst and communications specialist at Peaceland University, Enugu, told PulseNets that the unending ASUU strike was the direct result of the government’s “long-standing passive attitude toward education.”
Odo lamented that successive administrations have treated education as an expenditure rather than an investment, leaving universities underfunded, lecturers demoralized, and learning environments decaying.
“No serious nation treats its lecturers the way Nigeria does,” Odo said. “The very people shaping the minds that build nations are treated as though they are doing charity work.”
He criticized the government’s neglect, describing it as both systemic and deliberate:
“When you owe lecturers salaries for months, deny them research grants, and still expect world-class performance, you’re sending a clear message that education doesn’t matter. You can’t despise intellectuals and still hope to lead a progressive society.”
Odo further warned that the recurrent pattern of “promises, committees, silence, and fresh strikes” has become a vicious cycle, reflecting a government disconnected from the realities of its education system.
“Each strike is not an act of rebellion,” he noted. “It’s the inevitable outcome of failed promises and disrespect for academia. If the same passion used during political campaigns was applied to revitalizing our universities, ASUU strikes would have ended long ago.”
Also Read: FG to Enforce ‘No Work, No Pay’ Policy as ASUU Declares Two-Week Warning Strike — Minister Warns
He urged the government to act decisively by treating education as a national emergency:
“Pay lecturers their entitlements, upgrade university infrastructure, and honour signed agreements. Until then, the cycle of strikes and empty promises will continue — and each repetition erodes what remains of our national integrity.”
