ASUU Urges Nigerian Government to Resolve University Issues Before Strike Deadline

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Nigerian government to address lingering issues in the university system within the remaining 10 days of the one-month window it was granted. The warning follows resolutions from the union’s National Executive Council meeting at Taraba State University, Jalingo, on November 8–9.

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the call was necessary after some government officials “undermined the negotiation process” with statements that misrepresented offers and the status of implementation.

The union had suspended a two-week warning strike on October 22, giving the government until November 22 to meet critical demands, including reviewing the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement, paying outstanding salaries and allowances, and releasing the university revitalisation fund.

Prof. Piwuna warned that industrial action could resume without notice if concrete steps were not taken. He emphasized that partial payments of promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and the release of third-party deductions were merely confidence-boosting measures and did not address the core issues.

While acknowledging some progress in non-monetary areas, ASUU stressed that salary and welfare matters require urgent attention, noting that the real challenge lies in the lack of political will to prioritise education. The union insisted that academics deserve improved living and working conditions.