The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week nationwide warning strike following interventions from key stakeholders and assurances from the Federal Government to address the union’s long-standing demands.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made this known on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which ended earlier in the day.
According to Piwuna, the decision to call off the strike was reached after “useful and encouraging engagements” with government representatives, especially following the intervention of the National Assembly leadership.
He said the union decided to grant the Federal Government a one-month grace period to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and resolve other lingering issues affecting public universities.
“We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government regarding the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements. We are definitely not where we were before the strike began,” he stated.
Piwuna explained that the suspension was also a gesture of goodwill and appreciation to students, parents, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other Nigerians who showed concern and intervened during the industrial action.
ASUU had declared the warning strike on October 13, 2025, to push for the implementation of several unresolved demands.
These include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, revitalisation of public universities, and an end to the alleged victimisation of lecturers in Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
Other issues raised by the union include payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, settlement of over four years of promotion arrears, and release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions.
Piwuna emphasized that the suspension of the strike should not be seen as a permanent resolution but as an opportunity for the government to demonstrate sincerity.
“We have decided to give the government this window to show commitment to resolving all outstanding issues. We expect concrete results within the next one month,” he said.
He reaffirmed that ASUU remains dedicated to protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s public universities and warned that the union would not hesitate to resume industrial action if the government fails to deliver on its promises within the stipulated period.