UNIJOS ASUU Warns FG: Honour Deals or Face Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed its dissatisfaction with the lack of results from the end of its two-week warning strike since the Federal Government has not met its requests.

The union made this statement on Wednesday through a message from the University of Jos branch chairman, Prof. Jurbe Molwus.

The PUNCH recalls that ASUU started a full warning strike on Monday, October 13. They sought to resolve the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the payment of withheld salaries for three and a half months, stable funding for public universities, and the revitalization of public institutions, among other requests.

However, during the two-week period, the strike was called off after an emergency meeting between government officials and union representatives. ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, stated that the decision followed a commitment to tackle the ongoing issues.

Still, in a statement, the UNIJOS chairman shared his disappointment that the government had not made significant progress on the union’s demands despite ending the strike.

“We had hoped that some of the outstanding payments, like the withheld 3.5 months of salaries, 25/35% wage award arrears, promotion arrears, and unpaid salaries for some members, would have been paid to university staff by now.

“Instead, all we get are press releases from the Honourable Minister of Education. We need payment notifications, not statements to the media,” Molwus said.

The union leader raised concerns about the slow implementation of agreements made with the Federal Government and asked for clarity on how intervention funds are allocated.

“It is disappointing that even the ₦50 billion revitalization fund that the FGN reportedly released weeks ago has not reached the universities.

“Moreover, the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, recently stated that ‘the FG has allocated ₦2.3 billion to settle salary and promotion arrears across all federal universities.’ However, university staff still have not received these payments,” he noted.

He also urged the Ministry of Education to explain how the funds will be distributed and suggested closer cooperation with the Ministry of State for Education to address the ongoing issues.

Molwus appealed to President Bola Tinubu to prioritize the education sector and ensure that all unresolved matters between the government and university unions are resolved peacefully.

He called on the media, students, parents, and other stakeholders to pressure the government to meet its commitments and fulfill the union’s demands.

He disclosed that the union has set a deadline of November 21, 2025, for the government to respond to its demands, warning that failure to do so may lead to the resumption of the suspended strike.