ASUU-FG talks end in stalemate as CONUA breaks ranks

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on its 18th strike in 26 years, citing the Federal Government’s failure to address long-standing issues affecting public universities across the country.

But the Federal Government warned against disrupting the academic calendar, even as it threatened ‘no work, no pay’ for striking lecturers. It called on ASUU to reconsider its decision to embark on an industrial strike, emphasising that constructive dialogue remains the most effective and sustainable path towards resolving all outstanding issues in the tertiary education sector.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) yesterday stated that it has not declared any strike action and is not part of any ongoing strike.

National President of CONUA, ‘Niyi Sunmonu, noted that there was no basis to declare a dispute or embark on any strike action at this time, considering the ongoing discussions between the federal government and the Yayale Ahmed Renegotiation Committee.

Announcing the commencement of a two-week ‘total strike’ at a briefing yesterday, in Abuja, ASUU President, Prof Christopher Piwuna, ordered his members to withdraw their services across the country, effective 12.01 a.m. on Monday, October 13, 2025.

He said the industrial action became inevitable after many unfulfilled promises, stressing that the Nigerian government had paid lip service to its seven-point demand.

But the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and his Minister of State, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, in a statement, disclosed that the Federal Government made a comprehensive offer to the union and, “till now, is still awaiting ASUU’s official response.”

They stressed that the offer addressed the union’s major concerns, including conditions of service, institutional governance and staff welfare.

The ministers said the Tinubu administration approved a robust teaching allowance designed to reflect the value of academic work and motivate lecturers across public universities.

“All matters relating to the review of conditions of service have been duly addressed, except those that are within the jurisdiction of individual university governing councils, which are actively being handled. The Federal Government remains open and committed to continued engagement with ASUU once their formal response to the offer is received,” reads the statement issued by the Director, Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Folasade Boriowo.

It continued, “‘No work, no pay’ policy remains an extant labour law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the government will be guided by this law should academic activities be disrupted in the nation’s universities. While government continues to demonstrate goodwill and flexibility, it will not abdicate its responsibility to uphold fairness and accountability in the use of public resources.”

The development came after the two-week ultimatum the union issued to the Federal Government to address their long-standing demands expired.

Piwuna expressed dismay that nothing significant had happened since it issued the two-week ultimatum. “Government has been asking for time with nothing concrete on the ground to resolve it,” he said.

According to him, the decision to embark on the total strike was reached after rounds of meetings with government representatives ended without any tangible commitment.

The Guardian reports that the strike would be the 18th undertaken by the union since 1999. The reasons behind these industrial actions include demands for increased university funding, improved working conditions, reinstatement of dismissed lecturers, and renegotiation of earlier agreements, among others.

The strikes, which have ranged from warning strikes to full-blown actions, took place in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Subsequent actions occurred in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
The Guardian learnt that following a crucial meeting held on Friday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the FG negotiating team had noted ASUU’s concerns about welfare, conditions of service and other depends, and immediately relayed them to the Villa from where positive indications were already secured.

However, credible sources hinted that events that followed revealed a deliberate breakdown of communication, not from the government, but from ASUU’s end.

After the Friday session, Senator Lekan Tejuoso, the Deputy Chairman of the FG Negotiating Team representing the expanded negotiating panel, began reaching out to the ASUU leadership to arrange an urgent physical meeting aimed at preventing the strike.

Senator Lekan Tejuoso, a former lawmaker and university pro-chancellor, was standing in for Dr Yayale Ahmed (who wasn’t in town this weekend), the leader of the 53-member renegotiation committee set up to review the 2009 FG–ASUU agreement.

Government officials say the panel had prepared updated proposals to address the lecturers’ key demands, including salary adjustments, funding of universities, and pending allowances. This has been presented to ASUU, and the FG team is awaiting the official response of the university teachers.

But ASUU allegedly declined the government’s request for a physical, face-to-face dialogue, saying their negotiating team members had left town.

According to a senior official familiar with the exchange, “The government had shown good faith. The President gave the go-ahead, the minister acted swiftly, and the negotiating panel was on standby. But ASUU simply shut the door on dialogue.”

Government sources insist that the strike was pre-planned, not a reaction to any stalemate, accusing ASUU of bad faith and deliberate sabotage.

“They refused a physical meeting, ignored the mediator’s calls, and went ahead to announce a strike while negotiation lines were still open,” one top official said.

This move, according to the Federal Ministry of Education, undermines the goodwill shown by President Tinubu, who only days earlier had approved the reconstitution of the expanded negotiating panel to fast-track solutions to long-standing university staff issue

 

Vanguard