The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a total and comprehensive two-week warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria, beginning at midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025.
ASUU’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the declaration during a press conference held on Sunday at the University of Abuja. He revealed that the union decided to proceed with the industrial action after the expiration of its 14-day ultimatum, which ended without any meaningful engagement from the government.
Professor Piwuna said all ASUU branches nationwide have been directed to commence a full withdrawal of services, emphasizing that the strike would be both total and comprehensive in accordance with the resolution reached at the union’s most recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
The union had earlier issued a 14-day notice to the Federal Government on September 28, 2025, following its NEC meeting. In the notice, ASUU decried the government’s continued neglect of the education sector and the persistent disregard for its long-standing demands.
“Apart from engagement with the press, in August 2025, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in both federal and state universities held rallies, carrying placards on their campuses to press the government to address the lingering issues in the university system,” the union stated.
“Nothing came out of all these rallies and pleas. What is clear for now is that both the federal and state governments have a strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector in general and the welfare of university academics in particular,” ASUU added.
Last week, the Federal Government appealed to the union to suspend its planned strike, assuring that it was making progress in addressing the union’s demands. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a press briefing in Abuja, said the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions in tertiary institutions.
He further disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had given clear directives to ensure that another disruption in the nation’s academic calendar was avoided.
However, ASUU dismissed the government’s appeal, saying it came too late. Professor Piwuna criticized the authorities for their slow response and poor communication, noting that the government only reached out two working days before the expiration of the ultimatum.
“The problem we have with this government and this Ministry of Education is that they are slow in responding to our demands,” Piwuna said during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
He recalled that the union had previously been given a three-week window for negotiation but received no feedback from the government until the deadline elapsed. “Yesterday, they appealed to us not to embark on action. Our 2009 agreement, which is still being renegotiated after eight years, remains undone. We have not concluded on it, and two working days before a strike action, you come to appeal to us. I think the appeal has come a little too late,” he added.
The ASUU president reiterated that unless the government takes swift and concrete steps to meet their demands, the strike would proceed as planned.
What You Should Know
ASUU’s two-week strike underscores years of unresolved disputes between the union and the Federal Government over funding, welfare, and the implementation of past agreements.
Despite repeated appeals, ASUU insists on government accountability and immediate reforms to save Nigeria’s public university system from collapse.
