Universities Face Shutdown As ASUU Reissues Strike Ultimatum

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government of Nigeria, similar to the warning it made last year over unresolved issues affecting the country’s university system.

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, stated this at a press briefing following the union’s National Executive Council meeting at the University of Abuja on Sunday.

The ultimatum calls for government action on key demands, including renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable university funding, revitalisation of institutions, addressing staff welfare and salary concerns, and resolving outstanding issues like promotion arrears and third-party deductions.

Piwuna stated that failure to address these within 14 days may lead to a two-week warning strike and potentially a total and indefinite strike.

“The obvious reason has been to draw the attention of the Nigerian Government and members of the general public to the declining fortunes of university education and its implications for the nation’s desire for transformative and lasting development.

“Apart from engagement with the press, in the month of August 2025, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in both Federal and State universities held rallies, carrying placards, on their campuses in order to press the Government to address the lingering issues in the university system. Nothing came out of all these rallies and pleas.

“What is clear for now is that both the Federal and State Governments have a strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector in general and the welfare of university academics in particular,” he said.

Piwanu also noted, “It is over sixteen years now since ASUU has brought these issues to the media and the public domain. It means, therefore, that these issues are not new to you and the general public.

“For the past three months, ASUU has mentioned these issues at both the National, Zonal and Branch levels. For the past three months, these issues have been debated and combated in the media and other platforms.”

Last year, on September 27, 2024, ASUU had given a similar 14-day ultimatum to the government, which spoke of the persistent dispute between the Federal government and the union.

The union expressed disappointment over the government’s consistent neglect of the education sector and urged citizens, stakeholders, and the government to take urgent action to avert a looming crisis in Nigeria’s public universities.

ASUU appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to support the union’s push for improvements in the university system, emphasizing the government’s capacity to resolve these longstanding issues.