ASUU Commences Warning Strike As FG Pleads

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a two-week warning strike after failed attempts to reach an agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria. The President of the union, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced during a press conference on Sunday at the University of Abuja.

He explained that there has been no progress so far in the negotiations with the government. Before the declaration of the warning strike, the union issued a 14-day notice on September 28, 2025, but it lapsed without tangible advancement. In the notice, the union condemned the poor condition of the University system and decried the government’s constant neglect to address this critical issue.

“Apart from engagement with the press, in August 2025, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in both federal and state universities held rallies, carrying placards, on their campuses to press the government to address the lingering issues in the university system.

“Nothing came out of all these rallies and pleas. What is clear for now is that both the federal and state governments have a strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector in general and the welfare of university academics in particular,” ASUU stated.

However, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has come out to react to the union’s decision, saying the Federal Government has addressed every request made by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). He pleaded with the union to avert the strike and return to school.

“We have addressed every single request by ASUU; there is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school.

“We need to keep our children in school. If there is any group of people that I have met with the most since I assumed this position, it is ASUU,” the Minister said during an interview on Monday.

The back and forth between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government is not novel, as the union has previously engaged in strike actions due to Government negligence, prolonged negotiations, and slow implementations of agreements. Since its creation in 1978, the primary cause of strike actions by the union has been the government’s failure to concede to its demands.

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