ASUU Launches Two‑Week Strike Oct 13 Over Salary, Funding Dispute

When Professor Chris Piwuna, National President of Academic Staff Union of Universities announced a two‑week warning strike to begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, 13 October 2025, the nation’s public‑sector education system braced for a near‑complete shutdown. The directive, issued during a press briefing at University of Abuja on 12 October, orders every lecturer in Nigeria’s 45 federal universities to cease teaching, supervision, examinations and all statutory duties.

Background to the Dispute

Since August 2025, ASUU has been pressing the federal government for the implementation of a series of long‑standing demands: payment of earned academic allowances, a revised salary scale for lecturers, and a clear funding formula for public universities. The union points to a lingering arrears bill of N1.467 trillion dating back to the 2017‑2021 period, a figure that fuels both staff frustration and student unrest.

Earlier, on 28 September 2025, the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) issued a 14‑day ultimatum, warning that failure to meet the demands would trigger industrial action. That deadline expired on 12 October, setting the stage for today’s declaration.

The Warning Strike Announcement

At the Abuja briefing, Professor Piwuna said, “This two‑week window is the government’s last chance to honour its commitments. If they miss it, we will resume with a strike that is total and irreversible.” He added that the strike would affect the critical examination period for thousands of final‑year students.

The union released a concise list of demands:

• Immediate payment of all outstanding academic allowances.
• Full implementation of the Revised University Academic Staff Scale (RUASS).
• Allocation of additional funding to clear infrastructural deficits.
• Establishment of a transparent payroll monitoring system.

These points were echoed in a circular signed by Dr. Salim Ahmad, Chairperson of the ASUU branch at Federal University Dutse, confirming that all academic activities on that campus would halt at 12:01 a.m. on 13 October.

Government Response and Negotiations

Just four days earlier, Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, had appealed to the union to “shelve the action” in a news conference, stressing that President Bola Tinubu had issued “clear directives” to avoid another disruption in tertiary institutions. Alausa also announced the reconstitution of the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee, tasked with fast‑tracking talks.

ASUU dismissed the outreach as “a little too late,” accusing the government of presenting a “document hurriedly put together” without concrete promises. The union’s NEC spokesperson, Dr. Nuhu Ojima, warned that the strike would become indefinite if the window closed without substantive progress.

Impact on Universities and Students

The strike’s immediate effect ripples across campuses from University of Ibadan to the University of Lagos, halting lectures for roughly 1.5 million students. Examination timetables are now in jeopardy, and many final‑year candidates risk delayed graduation.

Staff unions outside academia have voiced solidarity, while civil‑society groups warn that prolonged disruption could erode public confidence in higher education. A poll by The Nation Online indicated that 63 % of Nigerians support the lecturers’ demands, but only 41 % favor a two‑week strike given its impact on students.

Potential Next Steps

ASUU’s NEC is slated to reconvene on 27 October 2025. If the government fails to present a satisfactory package, the union has pledged to “take action that will certainly be different from this two‑week warning strike,” hinting at an indefinite, total halt of academic activity.

Analysts suggest that a resolution will likely require a multi‑phase payment plan for the arrears, a legally binding salary‑scale amendment, and a transparent monitoring mechanism overseen by an independent audit body. Failure to address these core issues could trigger further industrial actions, reminiscent of the 2022 nationwide strike that lasted 100 days.

Historical Context of ASUU Strikes

ASUU’s confrontations with successive governments date back decades. The 2020 agreement, intended to settle a series of demands, left several clauses unimplemented—most notably the $1.24 billion (≈N1.467 trillion) arrears on salaries and allowances. The 2022 strike, which lasted over three months, ended only after the government agreed to a phased payment schedule, a promise that was only partially honoured.

Given this track record, many observers view the current strike as a litmus test for President Tinubu’s willingness to engage in good‑faith negotiations and to restore stability to Nigeria’s higher‑education sector.