THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Owerri Zone has warned that it may commence a full-scale strike on November 21, 2025, if the Federal Government fails to address longstanding agreements affecting university lecturers.
The warning was issued yesterday in a statement signed by the zone’s coordinator, Professor Dennis Aribodor, and presented during a press briefing at the ASUU–UNIZIK Secretariat in Awka.
The Owerri Zone comprises COOU Igbariam, FUTO, IMSU, MOUAU, and NAU Awka.
Aribodor said the briefing was meant to alert stakeholders that the window for preventing another nationwide shutdown of public universities is rapidly closing.
He noted that ASUU suspended its two-week warning strike on October 22—five days early—to give the government a one-month grace period to resolve key issues. With just days remaining, he said there has been “little meaningful progress.”
He criticised the government for treating education “as a commercial venture rather than a social responsibility,” arguing that the salary proposal recently presented to the union was inadequate and failed to address the harsh conditions under which academics operate.
The proposal, he said, does nothing to stem the brain drain that continues to weaken the university system.
Aribodor also accused government officials of attempting to create a false sense of progress by publicising selective payments, such as partial promotion arrears and the release of some third-party deductions.
These gestures, he argued, do not address the deeper issues at the centre of the renegotiation.
He urged the government to use the remaining days of the negotiation window to reach a comprehensive settlement, particularly on wage improvements.
Revenues at both federal and state levels have grown significantly in recent years, he noted, pointing to FAAC data between 2022 and 2024 as evidence that the country has the resources to meet ASUU’s demands.
The coordinator emphasised that academics have been on the same salary structure for 16 years despite inflation, currency devaluation, and rising economic pressures.
He called on students, parents, labour unions, traditional rulers, religious leaders, the media, and civil society groups to pressure the government into fulfilling its obligations.
The zone is demanding full payment of outstanding entitlements, including the 25–35 percent wage award, three and a half months’ withheld salaries, unpaid promotions, and outstanding third-party deductions.
Meeting these demands, Aribodor said, is essential to preventing the suspended strike from resuming and ensuring stability across Nigeria’s public universities.