The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address long-standing issues affecting the university system or risk another round of industrial action.
The decision followed a National Executive Council meeting of the union held on Sunday at the University of Abuja.
In a statement personally signed by ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, the union accused the government of neglecting the university system and consistently ignoring its demands.
“At the National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Abuja on the 28th of September, 2025, the Union decried the neglect of the University system and the government’s consistent refusal to heed to its demands. Accordingly, ASUU has given the Federal Government of Nigeria an ultimatum of fourteen (14) days within which to address these issues. If at the end of the fourteen-day ultimatum the Federal Government fails to address these issues, the Union may have no option but to, first, embark on a two-week warning strike and thereafter, a total and indefinite strike,” the statement read.
ASUU’s demands include the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, provision of adequate revitalisation funds for public universities, payment of outstanding salary arrears, and the establishment of sustainable funding mechanisms to address recurring crises in the sector.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, had set up a committee headed by the Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, to review ASUU’s proposals and recommend solutions. However, no decision has been made public since the committee was inaugurated.
The ultimatum raises fresh concerns among students and parents who have often borne the brunt of prolonged strikes in the past, leading to disrupted academic calendars and delayed graduations. Analysts warn that failure to resolve the dispute swiftly could further destabilize Nigeria’s already strained education system.
