The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the suspension of its two-week warning strike, offering the Federal Government a one-month grace period to finalise the renegotiation of the long-standing 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and address other unresolved issues bedevilling Nigeria’s public universities.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press conference in Abuja, stating that the decision followed constructive engagements with government representatives and crucial interventions by the National Assembly.
Piwuna explained that the strike, which commenced on October 13, was declared after several unsuccessful attempts to draw the Federal Government’s attention to the union’s demands, particularly the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement, improved welfare for lecturers, and revitalisation of the university system.
“When we gathered here about 10 days ago to painfully declare a warning strike, it was a decision that left us with no other choice,” Piwuna said. “The government had ignored our repeated overtures to address issues critical to the survival of Nigeria’s public universities.”
He noted that following the commencement of the strike, the government re-engaged the union through a committee led by former Head of Service, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed. The committee met with ASUU representatives on October 16 and 18 to deliberate on the government’s response to the draft renegotiated agreement.
According to him, while the discussions did not yield a comprehensive resolution, the union acknowledged that significant progress had been recorded compared to the situation before the strike.
Piwuna lauded the interventions of the Senate Committees on Tertiary Education, TETFund, and Labour, as well as the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, whose mediation, he said, “rekindled hope for a lasting and sincere resolution of the issues.”
He stated that the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU, after an emergency meeting held from October 21 to 22, reviewed the outcome of engagements and resolved that the warning strike had achieved its immediate purpose — compelling the government back to the negotiation table.
“While noting that more work remains to be done, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to allow for a conducive atmosphere for further engagement,” the ASUU president declared.
The suspension, he said, is not a declaration of victory but a demonstration of the union’s commitment to dialogue and the survival of the public university system.
