The Federal Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its two-week warning strike, saying it has met all the union’s demands and provided a formal counter-proposal.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the government had engaged ASUU several times and that there was no valid reason for the industrial action.
“We have addressed every single request by ASUU; there is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school,”
he said.
ASUU had on Sunday declared a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across public universities in Nigeria, citing the Federal Government’s failure to meet its demands.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, made the announcement during a press briefing at the University of Abuja.
“Compatriots of the press, it goes without saying that there is nothing sufficient on the ground to stop the implementation of the ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14-day notice given on the 28th September 2025.
Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight on Monday, the 13th October, 2025.
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The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting,”
Piwuna said.
However, Alausa insisted that the government had acted in good faith and fulfilled its promises.
“I can tell you today, literally all the demands of ASU have been met. So I do not see any reason why ASU has gone on this strike.
We had feelings that, despite us negotiating with them in good faith, truthfully, they were determined to go on this strike. Even from Friday, I’ve been getting text messages that ASUU has decided to go on strike. And when you do that, when you predetermine your action, despite every goodwill, all gestures of the government to you, what do you really want?
We’ve literally addressed every single issue that ASUU is requesting. The areas of their end academic allowance, we’ve paid 50 billion,”
he said.
Alausa assured students and parents that the Federal Government was working to keep universities open.
“Let me reassure our students nationwide that the federal government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, will do everything humanly possible to keep you in school.
Let me also reassure our parents, the parents of our students, that we’re doing everything humanly possible to keep your children in school.
I’m going to use this medium to plead with ASU again to shelve this strike. There’s literally no need for this strike,”
he added.
The minister said the Tinubu administration had made significant investments in tertiary education, including a ₦683 billion allocation in the 2025 budget for infrastructure in federal institutions — to improve hostels, lecture halls, laboratories, and workshops.
He said the government had also supported medical schools, academic staff training, and student funding through the NERF and other programmes.
Alausa accused ASUU leaders of delaying the release of needs-assessment funds by insisting the first tranche be paid only to universities, rather than shared with polytechnics and colleges of education.
“It is ASUU that is holding those disbursements,”
Alausa said, urging the union to allow the funds to reach institutions.
On promotion arrears and other outstanding payments, he said most issues had been resolved and that some were matters for individual universities to handle.
He maintained that the government would not pay the full three and a half months withheld during ASUU’s previous strike, explaining that earlier agreements covered only partial payment.
“We need to keep our children in school,”
the minister appealed.
“This strike should not have gone on at all… I am pleading with ASUU again to shelve this strike.”