The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its ongoing two-week warning strike following an overnight meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.
ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the decision during a press briefing on Wednesday, confirming that the NEC meeting, which began late Tuesday, ended around 4:00 a.m.
Piwuna explained that the suspension was a result of renewed engagement with government representatives and appeals from stakeholders including students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government to consider the response to the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements,” Piwuna said. “However, we are definitely not where we were prior to the commencement of the strike.”
He added that the union decided to review its position after the federal government returned to the negotiation table. “While noting that a lot more work is still required, NEC came to the conclusion that the ongoing strike should be reviewed,” he said.
According to him, “The decision to suspend the warning strike is to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians who intervened in the dispute.”
ASUU had declared the warning strike on Monday, October 13, after accusing the federal government of failing to fulfil its longstanding commitments to the academic sector.
The union’s demands include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement, the release of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, revitalisation funding for public universities, and the cessation of alleged victimisation of lecturers at Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
Other demands cover the payment of outstanding salary arrears ranging from 25 to 35 per cent, promotion arrears of over four years, and the release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union dues.
While the strike suspension brings temporary relief to students and university administrations nationwide, Piwuna noted that the union would closely monitor the government’s response to its key demands.
He cautioned that failure to meet the agreed timelines could lead to another round of industrial action, adding that ASUU remains committed to defending the integrity and sustainability of Nigeria’s public universities.
Africa Digital News, New York
