Inside Lecturers’ Ultimatum That Could Shut Varsities Again

Nigeria’s ivory towers are again connected the verge of experiencing different concern enactment arsenic the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) inches person to the expiration of its 14-day ultimatum to the national authorities to conscionable its demands.

The ultimatum, which expires connected Sunday, 12th October, 2025, has triggered aggravated mobilisation successful assemblage campuses, with the lecturers informing that nonaccomplishment to conscionable their demands could plunge the nation’s universities into different prolonged shutdown.

Although the authorities person reconstituted and inaugurated the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee to accelerate ongoing discussions with world and non-academic unions, the fearfulness of ASUU embarking connected a informing onslaught inactive festers.

Despite the renewed dialogue, uncertainty persists implicit whether the national volition proceed with concern enactment erstwhile the ultimatum expires.

The timepiece is ticking and unless a breakthrough is achieved earlier Sunday, Nigeria’s nationalist universities whitethorn again autumn silent, marking the archetypal large labour quality nether President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
At the bosom of ASUU’s agitation lies a acceptable of unresolved issues dating backmost to implicit a decade. The national insists that successive governments person failed to honour the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement, which covers assemblage funding, wage structure, earned allowances, and improved conditions of work for world staff.

The lecturers argued that the refusal to instrumentality the renegotiated terms, coupled with years of unpaid arrears, stagnated promotions and mediocre funding, has near the assemblage strategy to decay.
ASUU besides listed different grievances arsenic non-payment of 3 and a fractional months’ wage arrears, one-year arrears of the 25 and 35 per cent wage awards, and the non-remittance of third-party deductions meant for cooperatives and unions.

The national said the concern had dampened morale among lecturers and fuelling the wide exodus of skilled academics abroad.

Signs of the looming confrontation began to look successful precocious July 2025 erstwhile the curate of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, assured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu had directed that “never again” should ASUU oregon immoderate tertiary national embark connected strike.

Alausa pledged that regular engagement and trust-building would signifier the halfway of the administration’s strategy.
However, by August 21, that optimism had faded. At a property league successful Jos, ASUU president, Dr Christopher Piwuna, accused the authorities of failing to enactment connected its promises, saying the lecturers had endured “two years of breached commitments.”
He warned that unless urgent enactment was taken, the national mightiness person “no different enactment than to compel the authorities to listen.”

On August 26, nationwide protests erupted connected campuses successful Abuja, Lagos, Akure, Jos and different assemblage towns. The lecturers marched done assemblage gates with placards demanding the outgo of withheld salaries, revitalisation funds and implementation of the 2009 agreement.
The national described the protests arsenic a “final warning” earlier the looming concern action.
The president of ASUU astatine Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, lamented that lecturers had remained connected the aforesaid wage operation since 2009 contempt worsening economical conditions. “We worked for our salaries. Pay america our arrears, instrumentality the renegotiation study and merchandise our promotion arrears,” helium said.

At the aforesaid time, ASUU’s Akure zonal coordinator, Prof. Adeola Egbedokun, declared that the lecturers’ patience was waning. “We volition combat back, and the consequences volition beryllium damning but the authorities acts decisively,” helium warned.

In what appeared to beryllium a effect to the increasing discontent, the curate of acquisition announced connected August 28 that a seven-member method squad had been constituted to fine-tune the government’s counter-proposal to ASUU’s demands.
The team, chaired by the ministry’s imperishable secretary, has apical officials from the lustice and labour ministries, the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, the National Universities Commission (NUC), TETFund and the Budget Office.
Alausa emphasised that the authorities would not motion immoderate “bogus agreements” it could not implement. “We privation this to beryllium law and sustainable. Every clause indispensable beryllium actionable and wrong the government’s capableness to fund,” helium said.
He added that erstwhile ASUU agreements were ne'er formally binding and vowed that the Tinubu’s medication would guarantee transparency and accountability successful its negotiations.

But weeks aft the announcement, determination has been nary superior advancement made, and nary result from the committee has been announced. ASUU leade...