The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that it will shut down all public universities across Nigeria if the Federal Government fails to meet its outstanding demands within the next 14 days.
The union made this known in a statement released on Monday after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja, calling on the government to urgently resolve lingering issues affecting the university system.
ASUU accused the Federal Government of persistent neglect of public universities and disregard for the welfare of academic staff.
According to the statement, despite recent nationwide protests aimed at drawing attention to their concerns, the government has failed to take meaningful action.
The statement, signed by ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said that if the government does not respond within the 14-day window, university lecturers will commence a two-week warning strike as the first step.
Should the government continue to ignore the union’s demands after the warning strike, ASUU said it would be left with no option but to declare a total and indefinite industrial action across all public universities.
The union’s key demands include:
- Renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement
- Sustainable funding and revitalisation of public universities
- An end to the victimisation of ASUU members at Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, Kogi, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO)
- Payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears
- Resolution of delayed promotion arrears dating back over four years
- Settlement of outstanding third-party deductions
ASUU emphasized that the continued silence of the Federal Government could plunge the university system into another prolonged shutdown, warning that this time, the union would not back down until all agreements are fulfilled.