By Frank Ikpefan,The Nation
Copyright thenationonlineng
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given the federal government a 14-day ultimatum to address its seven-point demands or face industrial action.
The union reached the decision at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Sunday at the University of Abuja.
National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, disclosed this in a strike notice personally signed and released to journalists on Monday in Abuja.
It explained that the notice, starting from Sunday, September 28, 2025, will first herald a two-week warning strike before embarking on a total and indefinite strike over the Federal Government’s attitude towards resolving pending issues.
In the notice, ASUU listed seven demands that the government should address to avert the closure of public universities.
Piwuna listed ASUU’s seven demands as the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable funding of public universities, revitalisation of universities, an end to the alleged victimisation of ASUU members in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and FUTO, payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, settlement of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and remittance of outstanding third-party deductions.
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The ASUU president said, “At the NEC meeting held on September 28, 2025, at the University of Abuja, the union decried the neglect of the university system and the government’s consistent refusal to meet its demands.
“Accordingly, ASUU has given the Federal Government of Nigeria an ultimatum of fourteen (14) days within which to address these issues.
“If at the end of the ultimatum the government fails to act, the union may have no option but to first embark on a two-week warning strike, and thereafter, a total and indefinite strike.”
It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education recently set up a committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, to review ASUU’s proposals in a bid to restore stability in the university system.
However, the committee has yet to make its recommendations public.
Also, in an interview with The Nation, Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, had said there was no need for the union to embark on strike in the middle of ongoing talks.
Alausa had appealed to the university lecturers to be patient with the outcome of the committee, which is expected to address the issues raised by ASUU.
