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Barring a last-minute ceasefire between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Union has decided to embark on a two-week warning strike starting Monday, October 13, 2025.
ASUU took the stand following the expiry of the two-week ultimatum given to the government to meet their demands which was due to expire on Sunday evening, and the government is yet to issue a public comment on the imminent industrial action.
The latest dispute between unions and the government comes despite ongoing negotiations aimed at preventing any more industrial action at the country’s tertiary institutions.
Last Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, explained that the government had entered the final stages of talks with ASUU and other unions to resolve the remaining disputes regarding welfare, funding and implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
Alausa also revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has made significant progress with the disbursement of N50 billion for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances, while another N150 billion has been included in the 2025 budget for needs assessment, which will be disbursed in three phases.
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“They (lecturers) are entitled to a decent salary, our academic and non-academic staff are entitled to an increase in welfare. But we cannot provide everything at once. What is important is our sincerity and commitment to substantially improve their conditions,” said Alausa.
However, in a statement on Saturday, ASUU president, Prof Chris Piwuna, disagreed with the Ministry’s comments, describing them as a habitual lie by the government as well as a delay in addressing important issues affecting university lecturers.
“Their ultimatum expires next Sunday, after that there will be a warning warning, unless there is something substantial from the government. So, in the next 48 hours, we expect there will be something substantial from the government,” said Piwuna.
“Then, we can go back to our members and ask, ‘Do you think this is enough for us to survive?’ And we will do what our members ask us to do,” he added.
