There was a wave of relief across campuses on Wednesday as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced the suspension of its two-week warning strike, paving the way for academic activities to resume in public universities nationwide.
The National President of ASUU, Chris Piwuna, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja, shortly after an overnight National Executive Council (NEC) meeting that ended at about 4:00 a.m.
According to Piwuna, the union decided to suspend the strike in response to renewed engagement from the federal government and appeals from students, parents, and key stakeholders.
“We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government to consider the response to the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements. However, we are definitely not where we were prior to the commencement of the strike,” he said.
Piwuna noted that although ASUU remains cautious, the union acknowledged the government’s return 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. The decision to review the strike action was a result of efforts by our students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress,” he added.
“Consequently, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians.”
ASUU had declared the strike on Monday, October 13, over unmet demands. The union’s grievances include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement, payment of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, revitalisation and sustainable funding of public universities, and an end to the alleged victimisation of lecturers at Lagos State University, Prince Abubakar Audu University, and Federal University of Technology Owerri.
ASUU is also demanding the settlement of outstanding salary arrears, promotion arrears spanning over four years, and the release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union check-off dues.
Many students have welcomed the suspension as a much-needed respite. On several campuses, students expressed relief and optimism that the academic calendar would now be restored.
Piwuna, however, cautioned that the union’s patience is not unlimited.
“This is a suspension, not a cancellation. We expect concrete action, not empty promises,” he warned.
The federal government is expected to continue negotiations with ASUU in the coming days to address the union’s demands and prevent a full-blown strike.
