By Ayomide Otitoju
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a total and comprehensive two-week warning strike affecting all public universities across Nigeria, beginning at midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025.
The announcement was made by the union’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, during a press conference on Sunday at the University of Abuja. He stated that the decision followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government on September 28, 2025, without any meaningful engagement or response.
“Despite our repeated efforts and prior warnings, there has been no significant progress to avert this industrial action,” Piwuna said. He noted that all ASUU branches have been directed to fully withdraw their services during the strike period, in line with resolutions reached at the union’s recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
The union accused both the federal and state governments of neglecting the education sector and failing to address long-standing issues affecting the welfare of university lecturers. “It is now clear that the authorities 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 said in a statement.
In August 2025, ASUU members across federal and state universities held rallies nationwide to demand government action on unresolved issues, including the implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement, improved funding for universities, and better working conditions.
Last week, the Federal Government appealed to ASUU to shelve the planned strike, assuring that it remained committed to addressing the union’s grievances. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said in Abuja that the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions.
Alausa added that President Bola Tinubu had directed all relevant parties to prevent further disruptions in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
However, ASUU dismissed the appeal, describing it as “too little, too late.” Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Professor Piwuna criticized the government’s slow response, saying, “We gave them three weeks, but we never heard a word until the ultimatum expired. Two working days before a strike action, they came to appeal to us. That appeal came a little too late.”
With the strike set to begin Monday, academic activities across public universities are expected to be suspended for two weeks unless urgent intervention comes from the Federal Government.
