The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a two-week warning strike, beginning at midnight on Sunday, as part of its renewed push to compel the federal government to meet its long-standing demands.
Speaking at a press conference held at the union’s national secretariat in the University of Abuja, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the decision became necessary following what he described as the government’s “insincerity and deliberate foot-dragging” in ongoing negotiations.
Piwuna explained that the two-week industrial action was intended as a window for the government to conclude discussions on unresolved issues, including the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, funding for public universities, and the payment of withheld salaries and earned allowances.
“The government has shown no genuine commitment to addressing the issues affecting our universities. We have exercised patience and engaged constructively, but their attitude has made this step unavoidable,” Piwuna said.
He directed all ASUU members across the country to withdraw their services immediately, stressing that academic activities should remain suspended until further notice or until the expiration of the warning strike period.
The ASUU president also urged Nigerians to hold the federal government responsible for the disruption, insisting that the union’s demands were legitimate and in the best interest of revitalizing public tertiary education.
The development marks another phase in ASUU’s long-standing battle with the government over funding, welfare, and university autonomy—issues that have triggered several strikes over the years and left the academic calendar in disarray.