Lecturers Suspend Strike, Give Govt 1 Month To Address Demands

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week informing strike, which began connected 13 October 2025. The national gave the national authorities a one-month ultimatum to code the union’s long-standing demands.
ASUU nationalist president, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the suspension astatine a property league successful Abuja yesterday.

He said the determination followed what helium described arsenic the national government’s “renewed commitments” to code captious issues affecting assemblage lecturers and the nationalist assemblage system.

“The National Executive Council (NEC) resolved that the informing onslaught is hereby suspended immediately. Should the authorities neglect to code the issues wrong 1 month, ASUU reserves the close to instrumentality to its archetypal decision.”

He explained that the union’s determination to embark connected the informing onslaught 2 weeks earlier was not taken lightly, but was necessitated by what ASUU termed the government’s “persistent neglect and insincerity” successful implementing the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and related matters.

“Our members had nary tendency to spell connected strike. When we gathered present astir 10 days agone to painfully state a informing strike, it was a determination that near america with nary different choice.

“The authorities would not respond to respective overtures for dialog oregon to code the lingering renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and different issues bordering connected the payment of our members and the repositioning of Nigerian nationalist universities,” helium said.

According to Piwuna, ASUU’s demands see the outgo of withheld salaries, promotion arrears, earned world allowances (EAA), merchandise of third-party deductions, and revitalisation backing for nationalist universities.

He revealed that pursuing the onslaught declaration, the authorities initially responded with threats and directives to Vice-Chancellors to weaken the union’s action, but aboriginal engaged successful constructive dialogue.

“We tin study that ASUU has had utile engagements with representatives and agents of authorities successful the past week. Our squad met connected Thursday, 16th, and Saturday, 18th October 2025, with the Yayale Ahmed-led Federal Government squad to see the government’s effect to the Draft Renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement. While we person not afloat achieved our objectives, we are decidedly not wherever we were earlier the onslaught began.”

The ASUU president further commended the National Assembly, peculiarly the Senate Committees connected Tertiary Education, TETFund, and Labour, for their mediation efforts.

“ASUU indispensable spot connected grounds the swift involution of the Senate Committees connected Tertiary Education and TETFund, and Labour, led by their respective Chairmen. Our engagements with the committees connected Friday, 19th October, and the follow-up gathering with the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, appeared promising successful amicably resolving each outstanding issues. Our members spot a batch of anticipation connected the beardown promises made by these distinguished Senators.”

He added that the union’s determination to suspend the onslaught was partially successful designation of the interventions by well-meaning Nigerians, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), students, parents, and the media.

“The determination to reappraisal the enactment was borne retired of respect for our students and their parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress and different well-meaning Nigerians who person mediated successful the past 10 days. We beryllium them a large indebtedness of gratitude for their understanding, resilience, and objection of solidarity,” Piwuna stated.

While noting that the authorities had yet returned to the negotiating array aft astir a twelvemonth of inactivity, Piwuna stressed that the suspension was lone impermanent and conditional.

“The NEC gathering concluded that the informing strike’s nonsubjective had been partially achieved. Hence, the ongoing onslaught was reviewed to make an ambiance conducive to further engagements betwixt the 2 parties. However, ASUU remains steadfast successful its committedness to ensuring that the agreements are implemented to the letter.”

He urged the national authorities to prehend the accidental to resoluteness the issues successful bully religion during the one-month window.

“NEC hopes that the authorities volition instrumentality vantage of this accidental to resoluteness each the issues timeously, to warrant concern harmony, and to guarantee the stableness of our world calendar arsenic it has ever promised,” Piwuna said.

ASUU embarked connected concern enactment connected October 13, 2025, aft the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the government.