ASUU suspends two-week strike, warns of indefinite strike if govt defaults on 2009 agreement

By Bukola Hameed

​The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended the two-week warning strike that paralyzed public universities nationwide.

​The union announced the suspension on Wednesday in Abuja, but it came with a stern warning to the government. ASUU President Chris Piwuna made it clear that while the union was stepping back, it was only a result of interventions by the Senate and other concerned Nigerians.

Crucially, the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU decided to give the Federal Government a non-negotiable one-month window to resolve all outstanding issues.

Piwuna recalled that the “cautionary strike” was declared on October 13, 2025, after what he described as the administration’s “negligence” in responding to pleas to renegotiate the prolonged 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and address welfare issues concerning university lecturers.

“When we convened here approximately 10 days ago to reluctantly declare a cautionary strike, it was a resolution born from a lack of alternatives,” Piwuna stated. “The government had disregarded our persistent appeals to tackle matters essential to the sustenance of Nigeria’s public universities.”

Following the strike, the Federal Government finally renewed negotiations through a delegation led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, which met with ASUU representatives on October 16 and 18. Though the discussions didn’t fully resolve all concerns, the union acknowledged that “considerable advancement” had been achieved compared to the period leading up to the strike.

Piwuna also commended the intervention of the Senate Committees on Tertiary Education, TETFund, and Labour, as well as Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, whose mediation, he said, had “rekindled hope for a lasting resolution.”

After reviewing the situation at an emergency meeting held from October 21–22, 2025, the NEC concluded that the warning strike had achieved its primary purpose: compelling the government to return to the negotiation table.

​“While noting that more work remains to be done, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to allow for a conducive atmosphere for further engagement,” Piwuna announced.

​The resolution was made primarily in consideration of students, parents, and the media, along with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other “benevolent Nigerians” who facilitated dialogue.

​However, ASUU issued a strong caveat: if the government fails to address the unresolved matters within the one-month deadline, the union will have no alternative but to immediately recommence strike action without prior notification.

“The fight persists,” Piwuna proclaimed, urging patriotic Nigerians to compel the government to fulfill its obligations to ensure industrial peace and maintain stability in the academic calendar.