The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), rose from its crucial National Executive Council (NEC), meeting on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, announcing the suspension of its two-week warning strike.
National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who announced the suspension at a press conference in Abuja at the end of the Association’s NEC meeting which commenced on Tuesday night and ended at about 4:00 am on Wednesday, said that the leadership of the Union took into consideration progress made during recent engagements with the federal government officials as a positive step, adding however, that several critical issues remain unresolved.
In the words of Piwuna; “We have had useful engagements with representatives of the government regarding the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. While progress has been made, we are not yet where we ought to be”.
The ASUU President said that the NEC of the union resolved to suspend the strike as a gesture of goodwill in recognition of appeals from students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), as well as other concerned Nigerians who intervened.
Piwuna said the NEC agreed to give the government one-month of grace to address all the contending areas, adding that ASUU acknowledged that the government has returned to the negotiation table.
He further said that while more work needs to be done, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike as a gesture to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians.
The two-week warning strike which commenced on October 13, followed what ASUU described as “the failure of the federal government” to meet several longstanding demands.
It said the demands included the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, release of three and a half months of withheld salaries, sustainable funding and revitalisation of public universities, and an end to the victimisation of lecturers at the Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
ASUU also demanded the payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, promotion arrears spanning over four years, and the release of the withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union check-off dues.
It is expected that the suspension of the warning strike, will bring about some reliefs to students and parents after days of academic disruption across public universities in the country.
