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The Federal Government has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its planned nationwide strike, assuring that efforts are ongoing to meet the union’s longstanding demands and prevent another disruption in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the government was already engaging the union in productive talks aimed at resolving all contentious issues.
He emphasized that the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to ensuring a stable and efficient academic calendar across the country.
According to Alausa, the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed-led Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee has been reconstituted and inaugurated to accelerate discussions with academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
“The President has directed that every effort must be made to avoid another shutdown of our universities,” Alausa said.
“We are not ignoring the concerns raised by ASUU. What we seek is cooperation, not confrontation, in finding lasting solutions.”
ASUU, however, has already begun mobilising its members ahead of a potential nationwide warning strike, as its 14-day ultimatum to the government draws to a close on Sunday.
The decision to issue the ultimatum was taken at the union’s National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Abuja, where members expressed frustration over what they described as the government’s “habitual neglect” of the education sector.
In a statement signed by its National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, ASUU accused both federal and state authorities of abandoning the public university system.
The union noted that previous rallies and protests held across campuses in August 2025 yielded no meaningful response from the government.
“After numerous engagements and peaceful demonstrations, it has become clear that education is no longer a priority for those in power,” the statement read.
“Our members have continued to work under difficult conditions while promises remain unfulfilled.”
The union warned that if the Federal Government fails to act before the expiration of the ultimatum, it would embark on a two-week warning strike as the first phase of its industrial action, which could escalate into a total and indefinite strike.
Education analysts have expressed concern that another shutdown could worsen the academic backlog in public universities and derail ongoing efforts to restore normalcy to Nigeria’s higher education system.
For now, all eyes remain on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations between the government and ASUU, as students, parents, and stakeholders anxiously await a resolution that could avert another nationwide disruption.