Strike: ASUU Dismisses FG’s Last-Minute Appeal as “Coming Too Late”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has criticised the Federal Government’s last-minute plea for it to halt its planned warning strike, describing the move as “too late to make a difference.”

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, made the remark on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, accusing the government of neglecting the union’s demands until the eleventh hour.

“The challenge we have with this administration and the Ministry of Education is their slow response to our issues,” Piwuna said.

He explained that after a previous meeting held in Sokoto, the union granted the government three weeks to address its grievances but received no feedback during that period.

“We met in Sokoto when we were about to embark on strike action. They requested three weeks, and we agreed. But we didn’t hear from them until the time elapsed — not even a courtesy message to say, ‘Gentlemen, we are running out of time.’ Nothing happened until we threatened to act,” he said.

Piwuna added that the government’s appeal came only two working days before the planned strike. “Yesterday, they asked us not to go ahead with the strike. Yet, our 2009 agreement is still under renegotiation after eight years. Two days to a strike, they come to appeal to us — I think it’s a bit late,” he stated.

He emphasised that ASUU would proceed with its two-week warning strike once its ultimatum expires on Sunday, unless the government makes tangible progress on the pending issues.

“Our ultimatum ends on Sunday. If nothing substantial happens before then, we’ll commence a warning strike. We expect something concrete from the government within the next 48 hours,” Piwuna said.

He noted that the union’s decision would ultimately depend on feedback from its members after reviewing any new government proposals.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier stated in Abuja that the government was in the final phase of negotiations with ASUU and other university unions to address disputes over funding, welfare, and the long-standing 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.