BREAKING: ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike Over Unmet Demands, Gives Deadline

• The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dismissed the Federal Government’s claim of releasing ₦50 billion for university revitalisation, insisting that none of its members has received payment as alleged — and warning that it may resume its suspended strike if demands remain unmet by November 21, 2025.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has denied receiving the ₦50 billion revitalisation fund recently announced by the Federal Government, saying that no concrete progress has been made on its long-standing demands ahead of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled for November 8 and 9, 2025.

In a statement signed by Prof. Jurbe Molwus, ASUU recalled that it had suspended its two-week warning strike in good faith after senior government officials promised prompt action on issues such as withheld salaries, wage awards, and promotion arrears.

“What we need is credit alerts, not misleading press statements,” Molwus said. “The ₦50bn revitalisation fund claimed to have been released is yet to reach any university. We do not know why the Minister of Education is still keeping it.”

Molwus also faulted comments by Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who claimed that ₦2.3 billion had been disbursed to clear salary and promotion arrears in federal universities.

“As we speak, university workers have not received any such payment,” he said. “The Minister’s claim is far from reality — ₦2.3bn cannot clear the backlog across all federal universities. It’s like a drop in the ocean.”

The union urged the public to hold the government accountable, warning that ASUU might resume strike action by November 21, when its four-week ultimatum expires.

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“The strike was only suspended as a show of goodwill,” Molwus stated. “If the Federal Government fails to meet its obligations, our members will not hesitate to resume.”

ASUU had embarked on a two-week “total and comprehensive” strike on October 12, 2025, following a 14-day ultimatum issued over unmet agreements related to staff welfare, funding, and the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.

Although the government directed universities to enforce a “No Work, No Pay” policy, the Senate has since intervened, with the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, chaired by Senator Aliyu Dandutse, pledging to mediate between ASUU and the Ministry of Education to find a lasting solution.

The Senate also promised to engage FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on the contentious University of Abuja land dispute, urging all parties to exercise restraint as negotiations continue.