iDeemlawfulThe Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared that the Federal Government’s appeal to halt its planned warning strike came far too late.
On Wednesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly directed that all necessary measures be taken to prevent another disruption in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions as ASUU’s ultimatum nears expiration.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa stated that the Federal Government is already addressing the union’s concerns, noting that progress has been made in ongoing talks with academic and non-academic unions across tertiary institutions.
Alausa explained that the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to accelerate negotiations. He added that President Tinubu had issued firm instructions that every effort must be made to avert another academic shutdown.
However, ASUU President Chris Piwuna, in an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Thursday, insisted that the government’s appeal came “a little too late.”
“The problem we have with this government and the leadership in the Ministry of Education is that they are slow. They are slow in responding to our demands,” Piwuna said.
He explained that despite numerous meetings and correspondence between both parties, the government failed to act within the agreed timeline.
“They gave us three weeks. We went for a meeting in Sokoto, and at that time, we were about to embark on the strike action. They gave us three weeks. We accepted the three weeks. We never heard a word from them until the three weeks elapsed,” he stated.
According to Piwuna, the government only responded after ASUU threatened to strike, describing the administration’s delayed engagement as a persistent issue.
“Not a word from them, courtesy to even say, ‘gentlemen, we think we’re running short, we are unable to meet with you on so-so date,’ nothing — until we threatened action. And yesterday, they are appealing to us not to embark on an action,” he said.
ASUU had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum expiring on October 13, 2025, after which it plans to commence a two-week warning strike.
The proposed strike aims to pressure the government into signing and implementing the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
The agreement outlines the Federal Government’s commitments to revitalising public universities, improving academic staff welfare, and upholding university autonomy.
As of May 2025, ASUU continued to warn of nationwide industrial action over the government’s failure to meet those commitments. The union also held protests across multiple universities in August to express growing frustration among lecturers.
