The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced plans to begin a two-week nationwide warning strike starting October 13 if the Federal Government fails to meet its long-standing demands.
ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, disclosed this on Monday during an orientation and leadership training session at the union’s Niger Delta University branch in Amassoma, Bayelsa State. He said the union would not reconsider its decision unless the government addressed all unresolved issues before the deadline.
”The warning strike has been issued and we are not meeting to discuss that again as a union because our position has been taken,” Piwuna said. ”By midnight of Monday, we will embark on a two-week warning strike, after which we will meet to decide when to begin an indefinite and comprehensive strike.”
At the core of ASUU’s grievances is the renegotiation and implementation of the 2009 ASUU–FGN Agreement, which covers salary adjustments, university funding, and conditions of service. The union said the government’s repeated failure to honour previous commitments has forced them to consider industrial action.
Piwuna explained that despite giving the Federal Government three weeks to respond to their latest demands, no progress had been made. ”We have given the government enough time on this particular issue,” he said. ”Nigerians must always look at the actions of the government that have pushed us to such actions.”
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The ASUU president also criticised the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the loan initiative is not a practical solution for students in a struggling economy.
”We have told the government that we do not support loans in such a depressed economy,” Piwuna said. “Families can’t feed themselves; so where will they get money to repay the loans? If the government truly wants to support education, the funds should be given as grants.”
He questioned NELFUND’s spending, noting reports that the new agency, with fewer than 100 employees, had spent ₦14 billion on personnel and infrastructure within its first year — a figure he described as “alarming.”
ASUU National Financial Secretary Happiness Uduk urged members to uphold the union’s reputation for integrity, transparency, and accountability, while Professor Ezekiel Agbalagba, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, emphasised the importance of cooperation among members to improve the quality of education.
If the government fails to act before October 13, universities across Nigeria could shut down temporarily, disrupting academic calendars and delaying ongoing programmes. The union said it will reconvene after the warning strike to decide whether to proceed with a full-scale, indefinite strike. The Federal Government has yet to issue an official response to ASUU’s latest ultimatum.