**Nothing Sufficient on Ground to Avert Standoff – Piwuna as Lecturers Meet Student Leaders, Justify Action**

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Sunday declared a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria. The declaration was made by the National President of the union, Prof. Chris Piwuna, during a press briefing held at the University of Abuja in Abuja.

“Compatriots of the press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on ground to stop the implementation of the ASUU National Executive Council’s (NEC) resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14-day notice given on September 28, 2025.

“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025.

“The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting,” Piwuna stated.

### Background to the Strike

On September 28, ASUU issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government to address lingering issues affecting the nation’s universities or risk another round of strike action. This decision followed the NEC meeting held at the University of Abuja.

In the statement, ASUU National President Piwuna accused the government of neglecting the university system and refusing to honour past agreements.

“At the NEC meeting held on September 28, the union decried the neglect of the university system and the government’s consistent refusal to heed its demands.

“Accordingly, ASUU gave the Federal Government fourteen (14) days to address these issues. If the government fails to respond adequately, the union will have no option but to embark on a two-week warning strike, which could escalate into a total and indefinite strike,” he added.

The union’s longstanding demands include the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, adequate revitalisation funds for universities, payment of outstanding salary arrears, and the establishment of sustainable funding mechanisms for the sector.

### Government’s Response

The Ministry of Education recently set up a committee, chaired by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, to review ASUU’s proposals in efforts to prevent further disruptions in the university system. However, the committee has yet to announce any decision.

In an effort to avert the looming strike and keep students in school, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, constituted an Expanded Negotiation Committee to fast-track agreements with all unions in tertiary institutions.

Dr. Alausa highlighted the federal government’s N200 billion intervention effort, which includes N50 billion already released for Earned Academic Allowances and N150 billion provided in the 2025 budget for university revitalisation projects. He noted these funds as clear evidence of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to addressing the long-standing issues in the sector.

After a recent Technical Working Group meeting in Abuja, the Minister reaffirmed President Tinubu’s directive that Nigerian students must remain in school while all outstanding issues with university unions are resolved through dialogue.

“The directive President Bola Tinubu gave us is that our children must be in school. We should do everything humanly possible to avert a strike.

“At this point, we’ve addressed several of the issues raised by the unions. The Earned Academic Allowance has been paid; the President released N50 billion months ago,” the Minister stated.

He further explained, “Even the needs assessment that tertiary institutions have been fighting for almost 15 years – the President put N150 billion in this 2025 budget. He promised that it will be released in three tranches of N50 billion each, and the first tranche is already waiting.”

Dr. Alausa described the government’s actions as a demonstration of sincerity and readiness to meet its obligations, calling the intervention a comprehensive effort to restore stability and mutual trust in the higher education system.

Additionally, the federal government has collapsed all separate negotiation platforms into a single expanded negotiation committee — the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institution Expanded Negotiation Committee — to engage all tertiary institutions and their unions under one coordinated structure.

The Minister appealed to ASUU and other tertiary education unions to remain patient and maintain dialogue as the government addresses their long-standing concerns.

“Don’t use strike as your first resort. We know you’ve been patient, but these are issues that built up over decades. This President believes fervently and benevolently in education and has given us all the political will to resolve this problem once and for all,” Alausa said.

### ASUU’s Additional Concerns

ASUU has called for legislation mandating a minimum of five to ten years of existence for institutions to qualify for funds from TETFUND. The lecturers’ union explained that the fund’s primary aim has been abused over the years, with new institutions — referred to as “community and constituency projects” — benefiting from it without proper planning and takeoff budgets.

The union also criticized the support of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) by TETFUND, emphasizing that deliberate efforts must ensure that the intervention agency is not overstretched and remains focused on its original mandate.

### ASUU Lecture-Student Meeting at University of Jos

Meanwhile, the University of Jos chapter of ASUU met with student leaders on Friday to explain the rationale for the industrial action. The meeting was convened by the union’s Students Relations Committee.

Prof. Jurbe Molwus, Chairperson of the University of Jos ASUU, thanked student leaders for providing the union with the opportunity to engage them. He said the meeting was aimed at drawing the attention of key stakeholders to the Federal Government’s continued failure to address the union’s demands.

Molwus added that the session was also meant to inform students about the union’s pursuit of a more functional and sustainable university system in Nigeria.

“Let me remind the general public that ASUU is worried that it may no longer guarantee the industrial harmony enjoyed over the last two years.

“No doubt, the federal government is proud of ASUU for sustaining such tempo. But that has been achieved at the detriment of the welfare and well-being of our ever-resilient members, who have suffered persistent denial of their due entitlements.

“We have issued a 14-day ultimatum, which elapses on October 13, and if the government fails to satisfactorily address our demands, without further notice, we will proceed on a two-week warning strike,” he disclosed.

Molwus explained that the strike decision originated from the NEC meeting held on September 28 in Abuja. He emphasized that ASUU’s demands are not personal but aimed at strengthening the quality of university education in the country.

“Some of these demands are the immediate release of the revitalisation fund as captured in the budget, and signing and implementation of the 2009 agreement reached with the government.

“Our demands also include the payment of promotion arrears of responsibility allowance held by the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and reinstatement of victimised members in some state and federal universities.

“Other demands are payment of 23/35 per cent wage awards to members, payment of withheld three months’ salaries, among others,” he added.

### Student Leaders’ Response

Speaking at the meeting, Miss Jane Pwajok, President of the University of Jos Student Union Government (SUG), commended ASUU for engaging students directly.

She explained that the meeting served as an eye-opener, providing students with a better understanding of the lingering issues between ASUU and the government.

The SUG President also applauded ASUU’s longstanding struggle to improve and ensure quality in Nigeria’s university system but urged the union to seek alternative means of pressing its demands aside from the planned strike action.

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https://championnews.com.ng/2025/10/12/negotiation-crashes-as-asuu-declares-total-two-week-strike/