The Nigerian Senate has announced plans to initiate urgent negotiations between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to address the ongoing two-week warning strike.
The strike, which commenced on October 13, 2025, is a response to unresolved issues dating back to 2011, including concerns over funding, salaries, and university autonomy.
Senator Aliyu Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, expressed deep concern over the government’s failure to honor agreements with ASUU. Following a closed-door session with ASUU leadership, he announced plans to convene a negotiation process involving key stakeholders, including ASUU, the Ministry of Education, and the National Universities Commission (NUC), to find a lasting resolution to the crisis.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, emphasized that the ongoing strike stems from unaddressed issues, notably the government’s failure to implement the Yayale Ahmed Committee report submitted in December 2024. The union’s key demands include sustainable funding for public universities, improved conditions of service, revitalization of university infrastructure, and academic autonomy. Piwuna also criticized the government’s underfunding of the education sector, noting that although ₦150 billion was approved for universities, only ₦50 billion had been released, with much of it still held by the Ministry of Education.
In addition to financial issues, ASUU raised concerns about the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, allegedly attempting to encroach on land belonging to the University of Abuja. The union warned that such actions could hinder academic research and expansion, urging the Senate to intervene and protect the university’s land rights.
The Senate has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the crisis. Senator Muntari Dandutse emphasized that education is the backbone of national development and that the Senate would not stand by while the university system faces collapse. He assured that the committee’s report would be presented to the full Senate and forwarded to President Tinubu for prompt action.
The Senate’s intervention aims to prevent a total collapse of academic activities across Nigeria’s public universities and to ensure a swift resolution of the industrial dispute before it escalates into a nationwide shutdown.
