The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced a two-week warning strike, citing the Federal Government’s continued failure to fulfill its promises to the union.
The industrial action, which began at midnight, is aimed at pressing the government to conclude long-standing negotiations over the union’s key demands.
Addressing journalists at ASUU’s national secretariat in Abuja, the union’s president, Chris Piwuna, said the decision was reached after extensive deliberations among its members nationwide. He explained that the warning strike would serve as a final signal to the government to demonstrate genuine commitment toward resolving the issues affecting the nation’s universities.
Dr. Piwuna accused the Federal Government of what he described as “consistent insincerity” in addressing the union’s grievances, noting that the government’s approach has caused unnecessary tension in the education sector. “We have been patient long enough. This warning strike is to remind the government that we are serious about the implementation of our demands,” he stated.
According to ASUU, the major issues include the delay in signing the renegotiated agreement, the non-payment of earned academic allowances, poor funding of universities, and the imposition of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which the union insists violates university autonomy.
The ASUU president emphasized that the union had exhausted all dialogue channels before resorting to industrial action. He urged the Federal Government to utilize the two-week window to address the problems rather than allowing another prolonged shutdown of public universities.
Students across the country have expressed concern over the development, fearing that the warning strike could escalate into a full-blown nationwide strike if the government fails to respond swiftly. “We hope this will not last long; our education has suffered too much from strikes,” said a student at the University of Abuja.