By Ademola Adekusibe
September 29, 2025
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address its unresolved demands or risk a fresh round of industrial action.
The decision was taken at the end of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja on Sunday.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said the union is deeply concerned about what he described as the Federal Government’s continued neglect of the public university system and failure to honour previous agreements.
According to him, some of the unresolved issues include the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries and arrears, release of revitalisation funds, and the establishment of a sustainable framework for funding public universities.
Piwuna stressed that Nigerian lecturers have shown enough patience but are no longer willing to accept what he termed the government’s deliberate foot-dragging. He warned that if the government fails to act within the stipulated two-week period, ASUU would be left with no choice but to embark on a two-week warning strike, which could escalate into a total and indefinite strike action.
The union leader also expressed dissatisfaction with the proliferation of universities without adequate funding, noting that this has further weakened the quality of education and worsened the conditions under which lecturers work.
He added that despite several meetings and committees set up by the government, including one led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, there has been little or no progress in resolving the issues.
The ultimatum has once again placed Nigeria’s higher education system at a crossroads, as students, parents, and stakeholders wait anxiously for the Federal Government’s next move.
