The Federal Government has scheduled crucial meetings with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for Monday, November 24, and Tuesday, November 25, 2025, in a last-minute effort to prevent another nationwide university strike.
The meetings were convened by the Yayale Ahmed Renegotiation Committee, which has been leading discussions on the long-standing 2009 ASUU–Federal Government agreement.
ASUU’s National Executive Council is expected to meet immediately afterwards to decide whether the union will proceed with industrial action.
A senior member of the ASUU NEC, who spoke on condition of anonymity with Punch, accused the Federal Government of deliberately stalling negotiations.
“They have convened a meeting for Monday and Tuesday. I believe it’s delay tactics. They are trying to delay us from taking action. After their meeting, we will hold a NEC meeting to decide the next line of action,” the official said in Abuja.
ASUU’s one-month ultimatum expired on Saturday, raising fears of yet another disruption to the academic calendar.
The union had suspended its two-week warning strike on October 22, giving the Federal Government a one-month window to address key demands.
These include:
A comprehensive review of the 2009 ASUU–FG agreement
Payment of outstanding salaries and earned academic allowances
Release of the university revitalisation fund
ASUU warned it would resume a full strike “without prior notice” if the government failed to make concrete commitments within the agreed period.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has repeatedly insisted that the government has fulfilled the union’s demands.
Speaking two weeks ago after briefing State House correspondents, Alausa reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that public universities must not be shut down.
“As I told you, the President has said that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike, and we’re doing everything humanly possible to ensure that our students stay in school,” he said.
He dismissed the union’s recent six-day warning strike as unnecessary.
“We’re talking to them; we’ve met literally all their requirements. Now we’ve gone back to the negotiation table. We’re talking—as I spoke to the leadership this morning,” he added.
Alausa explained that part of his recent visit to the Villa was to brief the President on the state of negotiations and seek “more concessions” to resolve the impasse.
“We will resolve this,” he assured. “Part of my visit today is to explain where we are with the ASUU strike to Mr. President and to extract more concessions.”
