The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to fully address its outstanding demands within the remaining 10 days of the one-month window granted following the suspension of its October warning strike.
The directive emerged from the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ASUU, held at Taraba State University, Jalingo, between November 8 and 9. The union’s President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, issued a statement on Wednesday emphasizing the need for urgent action.
ASUU noted that some government officials have undermined the negotiation process by making statements that misrepresent the government’s offers and the progress of previously reached agreements.
The union had suspended a two-week warning strike on October 22, giving the government a one-month period to meet demands including the review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and allowances, and disbursement of the university revitalisation fund. The deadline for compliance is November 22.
The union warned that failure to take concrete steps within the timeframe will trigger a resumption of industrial action without prior notice.
In its statement, ASUU highlighted that partial measures, such as payments of promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and releases of third-party deductions, are insufficient and described as confidence-boosting gestures rather than substantive resolutions.
The union emphasized, “The remaining days to the expiry of the one-month window given to the government must be judiciously used to achieve a holistic resolution of the issues, particularly to uplift the living conditions of academics in Nigeria.”
While acknowledging progress in some non-monetary aspects of negotiations, ASUU rejected the proposed salary increment, describing it as inadequate to reverse the long-standing brain drain affecting university education.
The union also challenged the government’s claims of insufficient funds, citing data showing significant revenue increases at both federal and state levels over the past two years. According to ASUU, the real obstacle to resolution is a lack of political will, not economic constraints.
The union called on traditional rulers, opinion leaders, students, the Nigeria Labour Congress, and civil society organizations to continue applying pressure on the government to meet its obligations and ensure lecturers receive fair and sustainable remuneration.
