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The federal government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to shelve its planned strike, assuring that it is committed to addressing all outstanding demands raised by the union.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja today, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the federal government is already looking into the demands of the Union and progress is already being made in the ongoing negotiations between both parties.
The minister explained that the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, reports Channels TV.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had given clear directives that all efforts must be made to avoid another disruption in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
ASUU has already begun full mobilisation of its members in preparation for a possible nationwide warning strike, as its 14-day ultimatum is set to expire on Sunday.
The union announced the decision to embark on a 14-day warning strike following a National Executive Council meeting held on Sunday at the University of Abuja.
In a notice of strike action signed by the National president of ASUU, Chris Piwuna, the union decried the neglect of the university system and the government’s consistent refusal to heed to its demands.
“Apart from engagement with the press, in August 2025, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in both federal and state universities held rallies, carrying placards, on their campuses to press the government to address the lingering issues in the university system.
“Nothing came out of all these rallies and pleas. What is clear for now is that both the federal and state governments have a strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector in general and the welfare of university academics in particular,” ASUU stated.
It, however, stated that if at the end of the 14-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.
