The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week warning strike, granting the Federal Government a one-month grace period to finalise the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and resolve other lingering issues affecting the nation’s public universities.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, made this known on Wednesday at a press briefing in Abuja, stating that the suspension followed constructive engagements with the Federal Government and crucial interventions by the National Assembly.
Piwuna explained that the union had declared the warning strike on October 13, 2025, after the government failed to respond to repeated appeals to address long-standing issues relating to the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and the welfare of university lecturers.
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“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. The government had ignored our repeated overtures to address issues critical to the survival of Nigeria’s public universities,” he said.
According to him, following the commencement of the strike, the Federal Government re-engaged ASUU through a committee led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, which met with the union’s representatives on October 16 and 18 to review the government’s response to the draft renegotiated agreement.
The ASUU president noted that although not all issues were resolved, the meetings recorded significant progress compared to earlier stages.
Piwuna also commended the interventions of the Senate Committees on Tertiary Education and TETFund, and Labour, as well as the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, whose mediation efforts, he said, rekindled hope for lasting peace in the university system.
He disclosed that after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held between October 21 and 22, 2025, ASUU reviewed the developments and resolved that the warning strike had achieved part of its goal, particularly by compelling the government to return to the negotiation table.
“While noting that more work remains to be done, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to allow for a conducive atmosphere for further engagement,” Piwuna stated.
