The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a two-week warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria.
The decision was announced by the National President of the Union, Prof. Chris Piwuna, at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the University of Abuja.
Piwuna announced that ASUU declared the two-week warning strike due to the alleged failure of the Nigerian government to listen to their demands.
Piwana declared: “Compatriots of the press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on the ground to stop the implementation of the ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14-day notice given on the 28th September 2025.
“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday, the 13th October, 2025.
“The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting.”
The latest standoff between the university lecturers and the Federal Government comes despite ongoing negotiations aimed at averting another round of industrial action in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed in Abuja that the government had entered the final phase of talks with ASUU and other unions to resolve lingering disputes over welfare, funding, and the implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
Alausa noted that the Tinubu administration had already made significant progress with the release of N50bn for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances, while another N150 billion had been captured in the 2025 budget for needs assessment, to be disbursed in three tranches.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that ASUU declared the two-week warning strike amid its ongoing dispute with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
At the forefront of the dispute is the full renegotiation and implementation of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement, which addresses critical funding shortfalls and crumbling infrastructure in universities, a process stalled for over eight years.
ASUU is also pushing for increased budgetary allocations to align with global standards, aiming to curb brain drain and revitalize tertiary education.
The union has also demanded the immediate release of trillions in withheld revitalization funds to upgrade campuses and support research, alongside an end to the victimization of its members at institutions like Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University (KSU), and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
Additionally, ASUU seeks a shift from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for more transparent salary processing, as well as the release of withheld salaries from previous strikes.
The union has also called for the scrapping of the federal student loan scheme, deemed unrealistic amid Nigeria’s economic challenges, advocating instead for policies that prioritize accessible education.
