ASUU Threatens Fresh Nationwide Strike as One-Month Ultimatum Nears Expiration

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a fresh warning that it will resume its nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands at the end of the one-month ultimatum given in October.

ASUU’s Kano Zonal Coordinator, Abdulkadir Muhammad, sounded the alarm on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at a press conference held after the zone’s meeting in Kano.
He said the Federal Government had adopted a “sluggish and unserious approach” toward renegotiating long-standing agreements critical to revitalising public universities.

The ultimatum followed the suspension of ASUU’s warning strike in October, a decision the union said was made in good faith to allow room for meaningful dialogue.

But Muhammad said the union’s expectations have been dashed.

“Our hope for a holistic and timely resolution is increasingly being dashed.
Some government functionaries employ tactics to undermine the renegotiation process and misinform the public,” he declared.

He added that the Federal Government has not demonstrated genuine commitment to improving lecturers’ welfare or addressing the conditions fuelling mass academic migration (brain drain).

The meeting had representatives from ABU Zaria, BUK, KASU, ADUSTECH Wudil, FUD Dutse, NWU Kano, and SLUK Kafin Hausa.

Muhammad also criticised state governments for establishing new universities without proper funding, urging the Federal Government to place a moratorium on state-owned institutions just as it did for federal universities.

Benin and Calabar Zones Back Looming Strike Threat

Echoing the Kano zone, the Benin Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Monday Lewis Igbafen, warned that the zone would fully comply if the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) declares a resumption of the suspended strike.

He described the Federal Government’s attitude as “blatant unwillingness” to resolve lingering issues affecting the education sector.

“It is wicked and inhumane to keep university lecturers on the same salary structure for more than 15 years,” Igbafen said during a briefing in Benin City.

In Calabar, the union’s Zonal Coordinator, Ikechukwu Igwenyi, also cautioned that ASUU would embark on industrial action if the Federal Government fails to address all outstanding matters within the ultimatum window.

He listed the union’s key demands, including:

• Completion of renegotiation and implementation of agreements with clear timelines
• Fair and competitive remuneration for academic staff
• Immediate release of 3½ months of outstanding salaries
• Payment of withheld salaries and all arrears of promotion
• Refund of all third-party deductions
• Full payment of the outstanding 25–35% wage award
• Adequate budgetary allocation for education
• Sustainable funding of public universities
• Respect for university autonomy and an end to policies undermining academic freedom

ASUU said it remains determined to protect Nigeria’s university system from further deterioration.

“We shall remain unbowed, unbroken, and unwavering in this just struggle… Victory is sure,” Igwenyi stated.