The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned the Federal Government that only 10 days remain to fully resolve outstanding issues affecting the university system or risk an immediate resumption of strike without notice.
The warning followed resolutions from the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Taraba State University, Jalingo, between Nov. 8 and 9.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, in a statement on Friday, said the union suspended its two-week warning strike on Oct. 22 and gave government until Nov. 22 to address key demands, including the review of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and release of the university revitalisation fund.
He said it had become necessary to issue a fresh caution as some government officials were allegedly “undermining the negotiation process” by making statements that misrepresented government offers and the level of implementation.
Piwuna stressed that the recent part-payment of promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and the release of third-party deductions were not part of the substantive issues and should not be misconstrued as progress on the core demands.
“With just 10 days left, government must demonstrate sincerity. If concrete steps are not taken within this window, ASUU will resume its suspended strike without further notice,” he warned.
ASUU said the real obstacle remained the lack of political will to prioritise education and called on the government to show genuine commitment to improving the working and living conditions of academic staff.
The union urged stakeholders and the public to hold the government accountable, insisting that meaningful engagement in the remaining days was crucial to averting another nationwide disruption in the academic calendar.
