The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, threatening to shut down all public universities across Nigeria if their long-standing demands are not addressed.
This warning came after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja on Monday. In a statement released after the meeting, ASUU expressed deep frustration over what it described as the Federal Government’s continued neglect of public universities and the welfare of academic staff.
ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, who signed the statement, said the union has run out of patience after years of broken promises and poor engagement from government officials.
“If after 14 days there is no concrete action from the government, we will begin a two-week warning strike,” Prof. Piwuna said. “If there is still no response, we will have no choice but to proceed on a total and indefinite nationwide strike.”
The union noted that despite recent peaceful protests by lecturers in many public universities to draw attention to their unmet demands, the government has failed to respond meaningfully.
ASUU is demanding the immediate renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, which covers conditions of service and improved funding for public universities. They are also calling for the revitalisation of the university system to improve infrastructure, research, and teaching quality.
Other issues raised by ASUU include unpaid salary arrears of 25–35%, promotion arrears delayed for over four years, and unresolved third-party deductions. Additionally, the union is demanding an end to the alleged victimisation of its members at Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University in Kogi State, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
ASUU lamented that public universities continue to suffer from poor funding, decaying infrastructure, and brain drain due to unattractive conditions of service.
This latest ultimatum has sparked concern among students and parents who fear another prolonged academic disruption. Nigeria’s public universities have suffered several strikes in the past, the most recent being in 2022, which lasted eight months and left many students idle and frustrated.
In response to ASUU’s statement, some student groups have already begun calling on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to avoid another shutdown.
While the government has not yet issued a formal response, education analysts warn that failure to act swiftly could lead to another major crisis in Nigeria’s already fragile university system.
