The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has officially suspended its two-week warning strike, granting the Federal Government of Nigeria a one-month ultimatum to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and resolve other lingering issues affecting the university system.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, announced the suspension during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, stating that the decision followed productive meetings between the union, the government, and key interventions from the National Assembly.
Prof. Piwuna recalled that the warning strike, declared on October 13, 2025, was necessitated by the government’s failure to respond to repeated appeals concerning the implementation of the 2009 agreement and other welfare concerns of university lecturers.
“When we gathered here about ten days ago to declare a warning strike, it was a painful but necessary decision. The government had ignored our calls to address critical issues threatening the survival of public universities in Nigeria,” he said.
According to Piwuna, after the strike began, the government re-engaged ASUU through a delegation led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, which met with the union’s representatives on October 16 and 18 to review the government’s response to the renegotiated draft agreement.
While not all issues were resolved, the ASUU president noted that significant progress had been achieved compared to the pre-strike period.
“We have not achieved all our goals, but there is progress. This shows that if the government had acted earlier, the strike would have been unnecessary,” he added.
He further appreciated the mediation efforts of the Senate Committees on Tertiary Education and TETFund, the Committee on Labour, and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, whose involvement, he said, helped restore hope for a lasting resolution.
Following an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held from October 21–22, 2025, ASUU reviewed the situation and resolved to suspend the strike in the interest of students, parents, and stakeholders who had shown support during the industrial action.
“While noting that more work remains to be done, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to create a conducive atmosphere for further engagement,” Piwuna stated.
However, ASUU warned that if the Federal Government fails to meet its commitments within the one-month grace period, the union would resume strike action without notice.
“The struggle continues,” Piwuna declared, urging patriotic Nigerians to prevail on the government to honour its promises for the sake of stability in Nigeria’s university system.
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