The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a total and comprehensive two-week warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria, citing the Federal Government’s persistent failure to address longstanding issues in the nation’s tertiary education sector.
The announcement was made on Sunday by ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, during a press conference at the University of Abuja. The strike, set to begin at midnight on Monday, October 13, follows the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued on September 28.
“There has been no meaningful progress,” Piwuna said, accusing the government of ignoring repeated calls for action. “All ASUU branches have been directed to commence a full withdrawal of services.”
The union’s decision comes after months of rallies, media engagements, and appeals that yielded no tangible response. ASUU has condemned both federal and state governments for what it described as a “strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector and the welfare of university academics.”
Despite a last-minute appeal from the Federal Government last Wednesday, ASUU dismissed the gesture as belated and insincere. “The problem we have with this government and this Ministry of Education is that they are slow in responding to our demands,” Piwuna said during a Thursday appearance on Channels Television.
He recounted a previous meeting in Sokoto where the government requested a three-week window to address ASUU’s concerns—only to go silent until the deadline passed. “Not a word from them. No courtesy, no follow-up. Nothing, until we threatened action,” he said.
The union’s grievances include the unresolved renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, which remains incomplete after eight years. ASUU insists that the government’s pattern of last-minute appeals and empty promises has eroded trust and left the university system in disrepair.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa claimed progress was being made through the reconstituted Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Negotiation Committee, and that President Bola Tinubu had directed efforts to prevent further disruptions. But ASUU remains unconvinced.
“This appeal came two working days before the strike. It’s too little, too late,” Piwuna stated.
The strike is expected to paralyze academic activities nationwide, further deepening the crisis in Nigeria’s public universities. Critics argue that the government’s chronic inaction continues to sabotage the future of millions of students and the integrity of higher education.