ASUU says it is ready to resume talks with the Federal Government to end the ongoing strike. Prof. Piwuna confirms contact from government officials seeking negotiations.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed its readiness to resume negotiations with the Federal Government to end the ongoing strike, saying it has received positive signals from government officials indicating willingness to restart talks.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, made this known on Monday during an interview on Channels Television, where he reaffirmed the union’s commitment to dialogue as the only path to resolving the lingering industrial dispute.
ASUU Shows Willingness to Resume Negotiation
Prof. Piwuna explained that ASUU remains open to genuine dialogue and has received encouraging communication from top government officials seeking to reopen discussions.
He stated, “Today, I received a call from Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Chairman of the Federal Government Team, and he’s eager to resume talks with us. I also received another call from the Minister of State for Labour, stating that she’s been directed to intervene and get this matter resolved. ASUU is willing. We are ready and available to discuss this matter once and for all.”
He added that the union expected official communication from the Implementation and Labour Monitoring Committee between Monday night and Tuesday, noting that ASUU would immediately honour any invitation to the negotiation table.
“My understanding, as I’m talking to you now, is that between this night and tomorrow, I will get a communication from the secretary of the IALM Committee for a meeting at a date that they will tell us. And I would also hear from the Minister of Labour on what they want to do to resolve this matter. We are ready and willing to go back and talk,” he said.
Background: Two-Week Warning Strike and Government Reaction
ASUU had on Sunday declared a comprehensive two-week warning strike, suspending academic work across public universities, citing unresolved demands that have lingered for years.
In response, the Federal Government maintained that it had met most of ASUU’s demands and described the strike as unjustifiable. It also threatened to enforce a “no work, no pay” policy to withhold the salaries of lecturers who fail to resume work.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), however, condemned the move, warning that such action would undermine fair negotiation and the right of workers to collective bargaining. The labour body also pledged its support for ASUU in its demand for improved conditions in the nation’s university system
ASUU Says Strike Was a Last Resort
Prof. Piwuna stressed that the ongoing strike was not an easy decision for the union but a last resort to draw attention to long-standing issues affecting university lecturers and the education system.
“Strike has never been an option that we exercise so freely. We are willing to talk about all these issues,” he stated.
Reacting to the Minister of Education’s claim that all outstanding issues had been resolved, the ASUU president challenged the government to explain why further meetings were being arranged if no unresolved matters remained.
He said, “Since the minister has said all the problems have been solved, that there is nothing left, I want Nigerians to ask the Ministry of Labour and the Federal Government negotiating team: if the issues have been solved, why are you going back to talk with ASUU? Are lecturers in LASU or Kogi State University still not being victimised? Has the 2009 agreement been concluded?”
ASUU Calls for Sincere Dialogue
The ASUU president reiterated that both lecturers and students were victims of the government’s inaction, stressing that the union’s goal was to restore stability and quality in Nigeria’s public universities through sincere dialogue.
“Nigerian students and academic staff union of universities are victims of governments. They are victims of governments in action and several other things. So we see ourselves as victims of this government, the way students see themselves as victims of what is going on,” he said.
Already, several universities, including Olabisi Onabanjo University, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Tai Solarin University of Education, and the University of Ibadan, have joined the industrial action, leading to a total halt of lectures and academic activities across campuses.
Stay tuned for further updates on ASUU-FG negotiations, government responses, and the status of public universities across Nigeria.
