ASUU Issues 14-Day Ultimatum to FG, Threatens Strike Over Unmet Demands

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address its longstanding demands, warning of a potential strike if action is not taken within the stipulated period.

This decision was reached during a meeting of ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC), held on Sunday, September 28, 2025, at the University of Abuja.

ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, disclosed the development in a strike notice personally signed and made available to journalists on Monday.

“At the National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Abuja on the 28th of September, 2025, the Union decried the neglect of the University system and the government’s consistent refusal to heed to its demands,” the statement read.

“Accordingly, ASUU has given the Federal Government of Nigeria an ultimatum of fourteen (14) days within which to address these issues. If at the end of the fourteen-day ultimatum, the Federal Government fails to address these issues, the Union may have no option but to, first, embark on a two-week warning strike and thereafter, a total and indefinite strike,” Piwuna warned.

It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education had previously set up a committee chaired by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, to assess ASUU’s proposals and seek a resolution. However, no public update has been made regarding the committee’s findings or decisions.

ASUU’s key demands include the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement with the federal government, provision of adequate revitalisation funds for public universities, payment of outstanding salary arrears, and the establishment of sustainable funding mechanisms for the education sector.

The union emphasised that the continued neglect of the university system threatens the future of higher education in Nigeria and called on the government to act urgently to avert a major industrial crisis.