- ASUU Strike Talks Enter Final Stage as Government Schedules Crucial Meetings
- Union NEC meets after talks to decide on possible industrial action.
- Government insists it has met demands as negotiations continue.
The Federal Government will on Monday, November 24, and Tuesday, November 25, 2025, hold two crucial meetings with the Academic Staff Union of Universities in a final effort to avert a nationwide strike that could once again disrupt academic activities across public universities.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the meetings were convened by the Yayale Ahmed Renegotiation Committee, which has been leading talks on the long-pending 2009 ASUU and Federal Government agreement. The union’s National Executive Council is expected to meet immediately after the discussions to decide whether to proceed with industrial action.
A senior member of the ASUU NEC, who spoke anonymously to Punch, said the Federal Government has been deliberately slowing down negotiations.
“They have convened a meeting for Monday and Tuesday. I believe it is delay tactics. They are trying to delay us from taking action. After their meeting, we will hold a NEC meeting to decide the next line of action,” the official said in Abuja.
ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the government expired on Saturday, raising renewed concerns over another potential shutdown of universities. The union had suspended its two-week warning strike on October 22, giving the government one month to address critical demands.
These include a full review of the 2009 ASUU and Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned academic allowances, and the release of the university revitalisation fund. ASUU had warned it would resume a full strike “without prior notice” if the government failed to make meaningful progress within the agreed period.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has repeatedly insisted that the Federal Government has fulfilled its commitments. Speaking two weeks ago after briefing State House correspondents, Alausa reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that public universities must remain open.
“As I told you, the President has said that he does not want ASUU to go on strike, and we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that our students stay in school,” he said.
He also described the union’s recent six-day warning strike as unnecessary.
“We are talking to them; we have met literally all their requirements. Now we have gone back to the negotiation table. We are talking as I spoke to the leadership this morning,” he added.
Alausa explained that part of his visit to the Presidential Villa was to brief the President on the status of negotiations and secure “more concessions” to address the outstanding issues.
“We will resolve this,” he assured. “Part of my visit today is to explain where we are with the ASUU strike to Mr President and to extract more concessions.”
