Leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), and other tertiary institution unions are currently in a critical meeting with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) regarding the ongoing nationwide strike.
According to reports, the conference, which is taking place at the NLC headquarters in Abuja, aims to resolve the long-running conflict that has paralyzed public universities and other higher education institutions as well as to address the concerns expressed by striking employees.
Following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government, ASUU National President Chris Piwuna declared the start of the strike during a briefing at the University of Abuja on Sunday, October 12, 2025.
The government was accused by the union of ignoring unsolved concerns related to infrastructure, salary arrears, personnel welfare, and the long-standing 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
The full implementation of the 2009 agreement, the release of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries, sustainable funding for public universities, an end to lecturers being victimized, the settlement of promotion arrears, and the payment of withheld cooperative and union deductions are still among our demands, Piwuna said.
Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, had previously promised that negotiations were in the “final phase,” pointing to the ₦150 billion set out in the 2025 budget for revitalization projects and the ₦50 billion released for earned academic allowances. However, ASUU rejected the government’s actions as insufficient.
In its letter of invitation to the unions, the NLC reiterated its support for striking instructors and other employees in higher education.
It denounced the Federal Government’s disregard for collective bargaining agreements and cautioned that the “No Pay, No Work” principle must be applied in the other way, meaning that the government cannot demand labor without compensation or obligation fulfillment.
