ASUU Strike: Senate to Meet Education Minister, NUC Boss on Tuesday

ASUU Strike: Senate to Meet Education Minister, NUC Boss on Tuesday
Senator Muntari Dandutse told journalists after the meeting that the committee had listened to ASUU’s grievances
Piwuna expressed concern that the remaining funds were still tied up in the Ministry of Education

The Senate has intervened in the ongoing two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), as lawmakers move to broker peace between the union and the Federal Government.

Contents

EDITOR’S PICK
FURTHER READING

Eko Hot Blog reports that the intervention is being led by the Senate Committees on Labour, Tertiary Institutions, and TETFUND, which on Friday held a closed-door meeting with ASUU leadership at the National Assembly in Abuja.

EDITOR’S PICK

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, Senator Muntari Dandutse (Katsina South), told journalists after the meeting that the committee had listened to ASUU’s grievances and would engage key government officials next week.

He disclosed that the committee would meet with the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, on Tuesday to discuss ways to end the strike.

“After hearing from ASUU on the way out of the current strike and the looming indefinite one, we have resolved to hold an important meeting with the Minister of Education and the NUC Executive Secretary next week,” Dandutse said.

He added that the committee would also interface with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over ASUU’s complaint about attempts to tamper with land belonging to the University of Abuja.

Earlier, ASUU National President, Professor Christopher Piwuna, told senators that improved and sustainable funding of universities remains the only lasting solution to the recurring strikes.

He said the union’s demands date back to 2011, lamenting that several agreements and reports, including the Yayale Ahmed Committee Report submitted in December 2024, had been ignored until the current industrial action.

“We have engaged the Federal Government for eight years without tangible results,” Piwuna said. “The National Assembly approved N150 billion for universities, but only N50 billion has been released so far.”

ASUU Strike: Senate to Meet Education Minister, NUC Boss on Tuesday

Piwuna expressed concern that the remaining funds were still tied up in the Ministry of Education, with plans to share them among universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education instead of providing separate allocations for each sector.

The Senate committees are expected to present their findings and recommendations to the leadership of the National Assembly after next week’s meetings.