ASUU Begins Two-Week Warning Strike Despite FG’s New Education Negotiation Committee

Barely a week after the Federal Government inaugurated a new Tertiary Education Negotiation Committee, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commenced a two-week warning strike, accusing the government of failing to honour key agreements reached in previous negotiations.

The new committee, inaugurated last week, was tasked with harmonising and fast-tracking negotiations with all unions across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education — an initiative the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said reflects President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ending persistent disruptions in the nation’s academic calendar through sustained dialogue.

However, despite these assurances, ASUU declared its latest industrial action on Monday, October 13, 2025, citing the government’s alleged breach of several critical obligations.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, ASUU President, Dr. Chris Piwuna, said the strike was a response to the government’s failure to pay earned academic allowances (EAA), settle withheld salaries from the 2022 strike, and implement other outstanding commitments.

“The union has received ₦50 billion from the government as part of the earned academic allowances, but the total outstanding arrears still stand at ₦103 billion,” Piwuna said. “The letter from Alhaji Yayale Ahmed was considered by our union as a delay tactic. They asked for two weeks two weeks ago, and now they’re asking for another three. NEC viewed that as an attempt to stall progress.”

Piwuna lamented that lecturers are still being owed several months of unpaid salaries, accusing the government of insincerity despite multiple rounds of negotiation. He added that the patience of university lecturers has been “overstretched.”

Reports by The ICIR indicated that the government inaugurated the new negotiation committee just a day after ASUU began mobilising members for the warning strike — a move aimed at streamlining talks with all tertiary education unions and avoiding the fragmented negotiation pattern that hindered past administrations.

Yet, ASUU maintains that the committee’s formation and the government’s recent interventions have not translated into meaningful progress. The union warned that unless concrete action is taken, it may escalate the strike beyond the initial two weeks.

“We are not disputing that President Tinubu or Dr. Alausa have made efforts,” Piwuna noted, “but ASUU too has made great sacrifices. What we seek now is implementation, not promises.”

The renewed impasse between ASUU and the Federal Government has reignited public concern over the stability of Nigeria’s higher education system, which has long suffered from recurring industrial actions that disrupt academic activities and delay student graduations.