The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the suspension of its two-week warning strike, granting the Federal Government a one-month window to finalize the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and address other lingering issues affecting Nigeria’s university system.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement on Wednesday during a press briefing in Abuja. He explained that the decision followed renewed engagements with the Federal Government and key interventions from the National Assembly.
The union had declared the warning strike on October 13, 2025, citing the government’s failure to respond to repeated appeals to resolve the protracted renegotiation of the 2009 agreement and other welfare-related concerns of academic staff.
“When we gathered here about 10 days ago to painfully declare a warning strike, it was a decision that left us with no other choice,” Piwuna said. “The government had ignored our repeated overtures to address issues critical to the survival of Nigeria’s public universities.”
Following the commencement of the strike, the Federal Government re-engaged ASUU through a team led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed. Meetings held on October 16 and 18 focused on the government’s response to the draft renegotiated agreement.
While acknowledging that the discussions did not resolve all outstanding matters, Piwuna noted that significant progress had been made compared to the pre-strike period. “We have not achieved all our objectives, but we are certainly not where we were before the strike began,” he said.
He commended the intervention of the Senate Committees on Tertiary Education and TETFund, and Labour, as well as Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, whose mediation, he said, had rekindled hope for a lasting resolution.
After an emergency meeting held from October 21–22, ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) resolved to suspend the strike, citing its partial success in compelling the government to return to the negotiation table. The decision, Piwuna said, was made out of respect for students, parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other Nigerians who showed solidarity during the dispute.
However, ASUU warned that if the government fails to meet its commitments within the one-month window, the union will resume strike action without further notice. “The struggle continues,” Piwuna declared, urging patriotic Nigerians to pressure the government into honoring its promises and ensuring stability in the academic calendar.
