ASUU shuts down public universities, declares two-week nationwide strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Sunday announced a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria, reigniting tensions in the country’s troubled tertiary education sector.

The strike, which takes effect from midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025, was declared by ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, during a press conference held at the University of Abuja.

“Compatriots of the press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on the ground to stop the implementation of the ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14-day notice given on the 28th September 2025,” Piwuna said.

“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday, the 13th October, 2025. The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting.”

The announcement comes despite assurances by the Federal Government that discussions with ASUU and other academic unions were nearing conclusion.

Just last Wednesday, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, told reporters in Abuja that the government was in the “final phase” of talks aimed at resolving long-standing disputes related to lecturers’ welfare, university funding, and the implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.

Alausa disclosed that the Tinubu administration had released ₦50 billion for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and earmarked another ₦150 billion in the 2025 federal budget for university needs assessment, to be disbursed in three tranches.

However, ASUU insists that the government’s promises have not translated into concrete action, accusing it of failing to meet key demands that formed the basis of previous negotiations.

The new strike marks another chapter in the long-running confrontation between the union and successive administrations over underfunding, unpaid allowances, and poor infrastructure in public universities.

If the deadlock persists beyond the two-week warning period, observers fear that ASUU may escalate the action into an indefinite strike, a move that could once again paralyze academic activities across Nigeria’s public universities and disrupt the academic calendar.