The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has officially suspended its ongoing two-week warning strike. The announcement was made by the National President of the union, Prof. Chris Piwuna, during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
Prof. Piwuna explained that the decision followed an extensive meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC), which lasted through the night and concluded around 4:00 am on Wednesday. According to him, the union decided to temporarily suspend the strike after evaluating the progress made in its discussions with the federal government.
He said, “We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government to consider the response to the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements. However, we are definitely not where we were prior to the commencement of the strike.”
Piwuna further noted that while some progress had been achieved, much still needed to be done to address the union’s concerns. He acknowledged that the government’s willingness to return to the negotiation table was a step in the right direction, even though the union’s demands were yet to be fully met.
“The union acknowledged that the government returned to the negotiation table. While noting that a lot more work is still required, NEC came to the conclusion that the ongoing strike should be reviewed. The decision to review the strike action was a result of efforts by our students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress. Consequently, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians,” he stated.
It would be recalled that ASUU had on Monday, October 13, declared a total and comprehensive warning strike, accusing the government of neglecting to meet key demands outlined in previous agreements.
Among the issues raised by ASUU are the finalisation of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, release of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, sustainable funding for public universities, revitalisation of higher institutions, and an end to what the union described as the “victimisation of lecturers” at Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO).
Additionally, the union is demanding the payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, settlement of over four years’ promotion arrears, and the release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union check-off dues.
With the latest development, academic activities in public universities across the country are expected to resume fully as lecturers return to classrooms pending further deliberations between ASUU and the government.
