Strike: Meet Demands in 10 Days, ASUU Warns FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has urged the Federal Government to utilise the remaining 10 days of the one-month window granted to it to holistically resolve lingering issues between both parties. 

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to use the remaining 10 days of the one-month window granted to it to fully resolve all lingering issues between both parties.

This was part of the resolutions reached at ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Taraba State University, Jalingo, from November 8 to 9, and contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the union’s President, Prof. Chris Piwuna.

ASUU stated that the warning became necessary because some government officials were allegedly undermining the negotiation process by making statements that misrepresented the government’s offers and the true status of agreement implementation.

The union had on October 22 suspended its two-week warning strike and gave the Federal Government a one-month ultimatum, which expires on November 22, to meet its demands.

ASUU’s key demands include:

▪ Review of the 2009 ASUU–Federal Government Agreement
▪ Payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances
▪ Release of the university revitalisation fund

ASUU warned that it would resume industrial action without prior notice if no substantial progress was made within the given window.

In its statement, the union accused the government of presenting misleading narratives regarding the implementation of agreements. It described actions such as the partial payment of promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and the release of third-party deductions as superficial gestures that did not address the core issues.

According to ASUU, these gestures do not reflect the actual state of negotiations and could jeopardize the entire process by creating doubts about the government’s sincerity.

The union noted that, although progress had been made in some non-monetary areas, issues relating to salaries and conditions of service required a more decisive and radical intervention. It subsequently rejected the government’s proposed salary structure, describing it as grossly inadequate and insufficient to stop the ongoing brain drain affecting Nigerian universities.

ASUU also criticized the Federal Government’s claim of insufficient funds, arguing that the real challenge was a lack of political will. It cited increases in federal and state revenues between 2022 and 2024, insisting that education deserved higher priority and better funding.

The union appealed to traditional rulers, opinion leaders, students, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and civil society organisations to continue to pressure the government to honour its commitments and provide lecturers with a living wage.