{"id":3910,"date":"2025-09-30T09:20:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T09:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=3910"},"modified":"2025-09-30T09:20:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T09:20:35","slug":"asuu-issues-14-day-ultimatum-to-fg-threatens-fresh-strike-over-lingering-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/asuu-issues-14-day-ultimatum-to-fg-threatens-fresh-strike-over-lingering-demands\/","title":{"rendered":"ASUU Issues 14-Day Ultimatum to FG, Threatens Fresh Strike Over Lingering Demands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nigeria\u2019s public universities may soon be plunged into another shutdown as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its longstanding demands or face a fresh round of industrial action.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In a statement titled \u201cNotice of Strike Action\u201d<\/em>, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said lecturers are growing increasingly frustrated over the government\u2019s reluctance to honour agreements and tackle what the union describes as the \u201cdeclining fortunes of university education.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the heart of ASUU\u2019s grievances are issues that have haunted the education sector for over 16 years: renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, revitalisation and sustainable funding of universities, unresolved arrears of 25\u201335% salary increases, delayed promotions spanning four years, non-remittance of third-party deductions and alleged victimisation of lecturers at institutions including Lagos State University, Kogi State University and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.<\/p>\n

The union\u2019s National Executive Council (NEC) met at the University of Abuja on September 28, where members resolved that patience has run thin. If government inaction persists beyond the two-week ultimatum, ASUU said it will first embark on a two-week warning strike before escalating to a total, indefinite shutdown of campuses nationwide.<\/p>\n

This standoff comes amid broader political debates about Nigeria\u2019s development priorities. Successive governments have promised reforms in the education sector, yet ASUU argues that universities remain neglected while funding for infrastructure and other political projects continues. The union insists that Nigeria has the financial capacity to fix its higher education system if leaders are willing to make it a national priority.<\/p>\n

But beyond the political wrangling, the human impact looms large. Families are bracing for yet another disruption to their children\u2019s education, with parents fearing wasted academic calendars and additional financial strain. \u201cEach strike feels like we\u2019re starting over,\u201d said Mrs. Felicia Adeyemi, a parent of two undergraduates at the University of Lagos. \u201cOur children lose motivation, and families bear the hidden costs of keeping them idle at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students too, are caught in the crossfire. Many have experienced repeated delays that stretch four-year courses into six or seven years; unnecessary expenditure; psychological imbalance; loss of proper academic calendar, etc. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about lectures stopping; it\u2019s about our future being put on hold,\u201d<\/em> lamented Ibrahim Musa, a final-year student in Kano. Conversely, the repercussion of the ASUU strike affects students in five major ways:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Extra years to graduate: <\/em><\/strong>It is usually difficult for undergraduates at the Nigerian public universities under ASUU to graduate within the four, five or six years they\u2019re originally supposed to spend for their courses due to the disruptions in academic activities, leading to constant review of the academic calendars. Sometimes, a student studying for a four-year degree programme spends up to five or more years to graduate.<\/em><\/p>\n

Impact on mental health: <\/em><\/strong>Many students have complained that while universities are on strike, they mostly remain bored and idle at home, while waiting for when schools will reopen. Such boredom and idleness can sometimes lead to mental health challenges which include depression and anxiety, thus taking tolls on the students\u2019 mental health.<\/em><\/p>\n

Diminishing interest in educational system: <\/em><\/strong>With the many ways the constant strikes delay and frustrate students, some students have resorted to looking for opportunities to earn stipends. This situation makes education less interesting and sets them in a tight corner when classes resume from the industrial action.<\/em><\/p>\n

Waste of accommodation rent: <\/em><\/strong>Another serious effect of the strike is that many students who stay off-campus end up burning their rent since they can\u2019t stay in the rented apartments during the shutdown.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hastiness to cover academic calendar: <\/em><\/strong>Usually when the strike is called off, the management of various universities \u201crush\u201d students to quickly cover the remaining academic workload to end the semester. This has therefore, in many ways affected the students\u2019 chances of learning well and without the stress of having to quickly prepare for C.A. tests, exam, etc.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The business community also watches with unease. Frequent strikes disrupt research partnerships, innovation projects, and industries that depend on university collaborations, particularly in technology and agriculture. For small businesses around campuses such as bookstores, transport operators, food vendors, etc., every shutdown translates into months of lost income.<\/p>\n

ASUU has called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, parents and students to pressure government into urgent action, likening the ultimatum to \u201can alarm of danger\u201d<\/em> that should not be ignored.<\/p>\n

Prof. Piwuna said that \u201cThe government has the muscle to avert this looming strike, a stitch in time saves nine\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As the countdown begins, Nigerians wait anxiously with torn emotions between sympathy for lecturers\u2019 demands and fear of another crippling disruption. The next two weeks could determine whether classrooms remain open or whether yet another chapter of uncertainty unfolds in the nation\u2019s public university system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigeria\u2019s public universities may soon be plunged into another shutdown as the Academic Staff Union…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-algeria","category-nigeria"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike.png",2266,1452,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-300x192.png",300,192,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-768x492.png",640,410,true],"large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-1024x656.png",640,410,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-1536x984.png",1536,984,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-2048x1312.png",2048,1312,true],"wpucv-grid-three":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike.png",360,231,false],"wpucv-grid-two":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike.png",600,384,false],"wpucv-grid-one":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike.png",800,513,false],"wpucv-classic":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike.png",265,170,false],"wpucv-classic-small":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike.png",150,96,false],"wpucv-galary":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike.png",400,256,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-1115x715.png",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-800x500.png",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-1024x656.png",1024,656,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-540x340.png",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/asuu-strike-400x250.png",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["Saint Rich"]},"category_info":"Algeria<\/a> Nigeria<\/a>","tag_info":"Nigeria","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3910"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3916,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3910\/revisions\/3916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}