FG Urges ASUU to End Strike, Says All Demands Have Been Met

The Federal Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its ongoing two-week warning strike, insisting that all the union’s key demands have been addressed.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the appeal on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he emphasised that there was “no justification” for the current industrial action.

“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,” Alausa said.

ASUU had on Sunday declared a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria, citing the Federal Government’s failure to fulfil previous agreements. The announcement was made by the union’s National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, during a press conference at the University of Abuja.

Prof. Piwuna said the decision followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued on September 28, 2025. “Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday, the 13th of October, 2025,” he stated.

However, Alausa countered that narrative, stressing that the government had fulfilled nearly all of ASUU’s demands, including the release of ₦50 billion for earned academic allowances and significant budgetary commitments for tertiary education infrastructure.

“I can tell you today, literally all the demands of ASUU have been met. So, I do not see any reason why ASUU has gone on this strike,” he said. “Despite us negotiating with them in good faith, they were determined to go on strike. What more do they really want?”

The minister also disclosed that the Tinubu administration allocated ₦683 billion in the 2025 budget for the rehabilitation of hostels, lecture theatres, laboratories, and workshops across federal tertiary institutions. He further highlighted other interventions, including funding for medical schools, academic staff training, and student welfare programmes through the National Education Reform Fund (NERF).

Alausa accused ASUU leadership of delaying the disbursement of the Needs Assessment Funds by insisting that the entire first tranche be paid solely to universities, rather than shared with polytechnics and colleges of education. “It is ASUU that is holding those disbursements,” he alleged.

On the issue of withheld salaries from a previous prolonged strike, the minister reiterated that the government would not pay the full backlog, explaining that only partial payments were approved under earlier resolutions.

Appealing to stakeholders, Alausa urged ASUU to reconsider its stance and return to the negotiating table. “Let me reassure our students and parents that President Bola Tinubu’s administration will do everything humanly possible to keep our children in school,” he said. “There’s literally no need for this strike.”

(Source: NAN)