ASUU Ends Two-Week Warning Strike After Talks With Government

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week warning strike following a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC), which was held overnight in Abuja and concluded in the early hours of Wednesday.

The union’s national president, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the decision during a press briefing, stating that the suspension came after several discussions with government representatives regarding the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement.

According to ASUU, the union embarked on the strike due to the government’s delay in addressing long-standing issues affecting university lecturers and public universities.

The meeting with the government reportedly brought some level of progress, leading ASUU to temporarily call off the strike in response to efforts from students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress.

The union had begun the warning strike on October 13 to push for the completion of the renegotiated 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries, improved funding for public universities, revitalization of tertiary institutions, and the end of alleged victimisation of lecturers in universities such as Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).

ASUU also demanded the settlement of outstanding salary arrears of 25 to 35 percent, payment of promotion arrears that have been pending for over four years, and the release of withheld third-party deductions, including cooperative contributions and union dues.

The decision to suspend the strike was made to allow room for continued dialogue, as the union noted that while progress has been made, more work is still required to reach a lasting resolution.