When members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on what it termed “a warning strike”, on October 13, it came as a rude shock of sorts to the Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who had consistently prioritised dialogue and negotiation with the union. But, ASUU accused the Federal Government of foot-dragging on the contentious 2009 Agreement, outstanding salary arrears, withheld promotions and the welfare of retired lecturers, among others. It also said the ‘warning strike’ might snowball into an indefinite one, thus resurrecting the endless cycle of disruption that once defined the nation’s public university system. Surprisingly yesterday, the union suspended its two-week warning strike, following a resolution by its National Executive Council (NEC), BOLA OLAJUWON and DAMOLA KOLA-DARE report.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday suspended its two-week warning strike, following a resolution by its National Executive Council (NEC). Its National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, announced the suspension yesterday during a media briefing in Abuja.
Piwuna explained that the decision followed an extensive NEC meeting that began Tuesday night and ended around 4:00 a.m. yesterday.
According to him, the union’s leadership considered constructive engagements with government officials as a positive step. The union’s president, however, asserted that several critical issues remained unresolved on their demands.
“We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government regarding the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. While progress has been made, we are not yet where we ought to be.”
The NEC, Piwuna asserted, decided to suspend the strike as a gesture of goodwill in recognition of appeals from students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other concerned Nigerians who intervened.
“The union acknowledged that the government had returned to the negotiation table. While noting that more work still needed to be done, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians,” he said.
The two-week warning strike, which began on October 13, was declared over the government’s alleged failure to meet several longstanding demands.
ASUU and strikes suspension
However, it was not the first time ASUU had ended a strike early. The union had suspended strikes on previous occasions to engage in further talks with the Federal Government. The decision to suspend the two-week warning strike followed a pattern of using the suspension as a gesture of goodwill to give the government a window for negotiation.
In 2009, the union suspended an indefinite strike after about three months to sign a memorandum of understanding with the government. In 2008, it suspended two separate one-week warning strikes aimed at pressuring the government on their demands.
In 2006 and 2005, the union also conducted very short strikes, lasting only a week and three days, respectively.
Meanwhile, the reasons for suspending a strike before the union’s full demands are met often involve a mix of legal pressure, public sympathy, and a willingness to return to the bargaining table.
The most recent suspension was intended to “reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians” and to give the government a one-month deadline to resolve outstanding issues. However, the union has a history of reviving industrial action if the government fails to follow through on its commitments.
The issues at stake
The union reverted to type when it announced the commencement of the two-week warning strike across universities nationwide. Not many observers were surprised, the signs were already there when lecturers embarked on peaceful protests across campuses in August over what they termed the Federal Government’s failure to accede to their demands for better welfare and improved funding of the education sector.
The protests, which grounded academic activities, were meant to serve as a strike notice to the Federal Government. They wanted the government to begin implementing the demands to avert an inevitable full blown strike.
The union’s just-declared two-week strike could be escalated if the government failed to address its seven-point demands.
Piwuna insisted that the strike was inevitable due to the government’s alleged insensitivity and failure to implement agreements reached with the union.
The demands are the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, improved funding for public universities, revitalisation projects, an end to the alleged victimisation of ASUU members in certain institutions, payment of outstanding salary arrears and promotion arrears, and remittance of third-party deductions.
ASUU’s demands also release of three and a half months of withheld salaries, sustainable funding and revitalisation of public universities, and an end to the victimisation of lecturers at the Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
The union is also demanding the payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, promotion arrears spanning over four years, and the release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union check-off dues.
ASUU is also asking for a review of the governance system in universities and a halt to the proliferation of universities by federal and state governments when existing ones are underfunded.
But, the Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had met with government representatives at the review panel, pledging that the government would fulfill its promises to ASUU. He said the meeting reviewed ASUU’s proposals, line by line, which would be fine-tuned by the committee’s technical team.
The minister said the team would submit a “clean report” that would be forwarded to the Yayale Ahmed-led Committee to renegotiate the 2009 ASUU/FG Agreement.
“We want an agreement where every component is actionable and feasible. Nigerians can be assured that this government will keep our schools open and ensure our children remain in classrooms,” he said.
He gave an assurance that the nationwide rally which was held in August would not lead to a strike because the government had engaged the union “continuously and meticulously.”
He said: “We are committed to solving this problem once and for all. What has lingered since the 2009 and 2021 agreements will now be addressed in a sustainable way.
“The President has made it clear that every promise made to ASUU and Nigerians will be fulfilled truthfully and honestly.”
He restated the government’s commitment to the resolution of the issues raised by the union, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had mandated the ministry to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
He said the administration was not interested in “bogus or unsustainable agreements,” but in reaching a constitutional and implementable accord.
‘No work, no pay’ rule activated
Obviously displeased by the union’s action, Alausa directed vice chancellors to carry out physical headcounts of lecturers, who report for work to activate the ‘No work no pay’ rule.
He added that the National Universities Commission(NUC) would monitor compliance with the directive and submit a ‘’consolidated report’’ to his ministry.
Alausa said in a letter to the vice chancellors that the government was disappointed with the strike following calls for the union to embrace constructive dialogue.
In another twist, Piwuna was defiant. He said the union was not afraid of the government stopping the salaries of its members.
He said the decision of the government to enforce the policy showed that it has not learnt anything from previous strikes.
He alleged that the government offered the union members a 25 per cent increase on their present salary.
Piwuna vowed that the offer of 25 per cent salary hike will not make ASUU members call off the strike.
“We have tried everything, we have tried discussions, we have tried writing letters, we have had meetings, we have had behind-the-scenes discussions, we have visited traditional leaders away from the cameras, and we have visited opinion leaders away from the cameras; none has worked.
‘’It is only when we get to this point (strike) that the government responds, unfortunately,” he said.
NLC, other unions step in with ‘no pay, no work’
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and affiliate unions from the education sector on Monday declared ‘no pay, no work’, as a response to the Federal Government’s ‘no work, no pay’.
The NLC and the unions also gave the government a four-week ultimatum to address outstanding renegotiations of the 2009 agreement.
It showed full solidarity with ASUU and other tertiary education unions, calling for robust participation from all union leaders.
NLC President Joe Ajaero said: “We have decided to give the Federal Government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. They have started talks with ASUU but the problem in this sector goes beyond ASUU.
“That is why we are extending this to four weeks. If after four weeks this negotiation is not concluded, the organs of the NEC will meet and take a nationwide action that all workers in the country, all unions in the country will be involved so that we get to the root of all this.”
It urged the government to honour collective agreements and respect the rights of workers, emphasising the ‘No Pay, No Work’ response.
The unions include ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), College of Education Staff Union (COESU), among others.
The unions are poised to work together in their agitations.
Minister: ASUU requests addressed
Alausa also said the government had taken concrete steps to address all pending issues affecting the lecturers.
He said: “We have addressed every single request by ASUU; there is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school. “We need to keep our children in school. If there is any group of people I have met with the most since assuming office, it is ASUU.”
The minister dismissed allegations that the Federal Government had been slow or unwilling to act on the union’s demands, insisting that several commitments had already been fulfilled.
“The arrears of their earned academic allowance have been paid. The President swiftly approved 50 billion naira months ago. Those allowances have now been mainstreamed into their salaries, so there will never be arrears again,” the minister explained.
He added that the government has also resolved issues relating to postgraduate supervision allowances, which are now being paid by universities, and that funds under the Needs Assessment Scheme were being released in phases.
“The President approved N150 billion for Needs Assessment in the 2026 budget. 50 billion naira of that has already been released, and the remaining will be paid in two more tranches. The money is already sitting in the Needs Assessment account,” Alausa said.
On promotion arrears, he explained that the payments have been captured in the 2026 budget.
The question on the lips of students, parents and other stakeholders with the latest development is whether the suspension of the strike will bring permanent relief to students and parents after days of academic disruption across public universities nationwide. Stakeholders are also hoping that the government would accede to all ASUU’s demands.
