The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the federal government’s proposed draft agreement, insisting on a two-week warning strike from Monday over the government’s failure to meet its long-standing demands.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, Chris Piwuna, national president, ASUU, said that the planned two-week warning strike must continue, noting that the government’s draft agreement presented at an emergency meeting was a total departure from the letter and spirit of the ‘Review of the Draft 2022 Agreement’ earlier submitted to the government by the Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee.
Piwuna stated that the government has failed to show genuine commitment to addressing the union’s concerns.
He noted that with the expiration of the two-week ultimatum earlier announced in September, there would no going back on strike.
Fourteen days ago, ASUU had issued a final ultimatum to the government after its chapters and the National Executive Council (NEC) decided in favour of a strike.
“Compatriots of the press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on the ground to stop the implementation of ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14-day notice given on September 28, 2025.
“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight (12.01a.m.) on Monday, October 13, 2025. The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting.”
He explained that the media interaction became compelling for two main reasons: one, to apprise the media and the general public of the state of the union’s engagements with the federal government in respect of its demands; and two, to remove any ambiguity about the notice of action issued by the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU on the September 28, 2025.
“As stated in our media briefing of September 29, 2025, the NEC meeting “decried the neglect of the university system and the Government’s consistent refusal to heed its demands”. Consequently, NEC resolved to give the federal government of an ultimatum of fourteen 14 days within which to address these issues. If, at the end of the fourteen-day ultimatum, the federal government fails to address these issues, the union may have no option but to embark on a two-week warning strike without any further notice,” the statement read in part.
Piwuna further said that it was regrettable that nothing significant has happened to change the position of NEC since it last briefed the press on the listed eight items as issues in dispute.
The contentious issues include: the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, release of the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries, sustainable funding of public universities, revitalisation of universities, and cessation of the victimisation of lecturers in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University) and FUTO.
Others are: payment of the outstanding 25-35 percent salary arrears, payment of promotion arrears for over four years, and release of withheld third-party deductions (cooperative contributions, union check-off dues, among others.
Moreover, he said that in a letter dated September 30, 2025, the permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education, on behalf of the government, had appealed that the union should withdraw the notice of the 14-day ultimatum.
“He acknowledged that ASUU had been patient with the government and shown “understanding with respect to the renegotiation process, which has inadvertently lingered over time” (eight years!).
“Although he promised to transmit the government’s position on the Draft Agreement to the union with the return of Yayale Ahmed, the Chairman of the Renegotiating Team, to the country, what ASUU got at “An Emergency Meeting of the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement Renegotiation Committee” held on Friday, 10th October 2025, was nothing to write home about.
“To say the least, the documents were neither here nor there. While the Permanent Secretary acknowledged in his letter that “ Yayale Ahmed’s Committee has recorded commendable progress, culminating in the transmission of the draft report of the 2009 renegotiated Nimi Briggs Agreement to the Ministry,” the presentation to the ASUU Team at the emergency meeting was a total departure from the letters and spirit of the “Review of the Draft 2022 Agreement” submitted by Yayale Ahmed to the ministry,” he noted.
