- Warns of more crippling strike if…
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked the Federal government to urgently conclude negotiations on its demands.
The union said it is concerned with the government’s back-and-forth approach to negotiations, warning that continued indecision could have serious consequences.
The union’s position by its President, Christopher Piwuna, during its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Taraba State University, Jalingo, where members were briefed on the latest offers from the government’s negotiating team.
The union, during the meeting, urged the Federal government to honour its agreements with university lecturers or face another nationwide strike.
At an emergency NEC meeting on October 21, 2025, the union had suspended its warning strike despite describing government offers as grossly insufficient.
The decision to suspend the strike was taken to allow further engagement and in recognition of support from students, parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other well-meaning Nigerians.
A one-month window was granted to the government to conclude renegotiations in good faith.
However, two weeks into the suspension, the NEC reviewed progress and rejected the proposed salary increment as inadequate to reverse the long-standing brain drain in the nation’s universities.
While some non-monetary aspects of the agreement have seen progress, ASUU noted that salary and conditions of service remain critical issues requiring urgent attention.
“We, therefore, hope that our expectations and indeed the expectations of Nigerians for a quick and holistic resolution are not dashed.
“ASUU criticised government officials for undermining the negotiation process through misrepresentation and selective implementation of agreements. The partial payment of promotion arrears dating back to 2017, and the release of third-party deductions, were described as confidence-boosting exercises rather than solutions to the core issues.
“The union warned that presenting these measures as major progress misrepresents reality and threatens the integrity of the negotiation process,” the union said in a statement.
The NEC emphasised that the remaining days of the one-month window must be used wisely to achieve a holistic resolution, particularly to improve the living conditions of academics.
“This is not too much to ask,” the union said.
The union also highlighted that, contrary to government claims of economic hardship, Federal and State revenues have grown substantially in recent years.
Data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, it said, showed state revenues rising from N3.92 trillion in 2022 to N5.81 trillion in 2024, while federal revenues increased from N3.42 trillion to N4.65 trillion over the same period. ASUU insisted that the problem is a lack of political will, not insufficient funds.
ASUU called on traditional rulers, community leaders, students, the NLC, and civil society to continue impressing on the government to act responsibly and provide lecturers with a living wage.
The seven demands by ASUU include: re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable funding of public universities, revitalisation of universities, an end to the alleged victimisation of ASUU members in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University) and FUTO, payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, settlement of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and remittance of outstanding third-party deductions.