The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) branch, has joined the two-week warning strike declared by the union’s national leadership, temporarily halting academic and administrative activities on campus. The action, which took effect on Monday, October 13, 2025, began two days after fresh students started their resumption, throwing the university’s orientation programme and early semester plans into uncertainty.
In a statement jointly signed by the branch Chairperson, Prof. Anthony I. Odiwe, and Secretary, Dr Tunde Amusan, ASUU-OAU announced its decision to fully comply with the national directive, ordering members to suspend all classes, accreditation exercises, conferences, and official meetings. The strike, according to the union, aims to press home long-standing demands, including the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and improved welfare for lecturers. However, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), a separate academic body also operating within OAU, has dissociated itself from the strike at the national level, pledging to continue lectures and other academic activities.
History and Reasons for the ASUU Strike and Federal Government’s Reaction
The current warning strike evokes memories of ASUU’s long-standing disputes with successive Nigerian governments over the non-implementation of agreements reached as far back as 1992, 2009, and 2013. These agreements, concerning university funding, staff welfare, and conditions of service, have often allegedly not been fulfilled or only partially fulfilled by the government, leading to repeated industrial actions over the years.
The union’s national leadership stated that the two-week warning strike is intended to press the Federal Government to honour these commitments, particularly the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement by the Yayale Ahmed Committee and the payment of outstanding academic allowances. Meanwhile, many returning OAU students have expressed fears ahead of the October 26 resumption date that the ongoing warning strike could clog the academic calendar if the government fails to respond within the designated period.
The last major ASUU strike, in 2022, lasted for eight months, halting academic activities across federal universities, with many students in Nigeria having to go to neighbouring African countries to continue their education until the National Industrial Court intervened, ordering lecturers back to the classrooms.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education has reaffirmed its stance on enforcing the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy in response to ASUU’s ongoing industrial action. In a circular dated October 13, 2025, and addressed to all Vice-Chancellors of federal universities, the Ministry described the strike as ‘a deviation from constructive dialogue,’ directing university authorities to compile attendance records and withhold salaries of staff who fail to perform their duties during the strike period. The circular, however, exempted members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) from the directive, citing their non-participation in the action. Reacting to the government’s position, ASUU National President Prof. Christopher Piwuna stated that such measures were attempts to create division among academic unions, insisting that “the tactic will not work” and that the union remains united in its demands for better funding and fair implementation of existing agreements.
OAU Students’ Views
Ayanfe Oluwafemi, a student from the Faculty of Social Sciences, reacting to the issue of the ASUU strike, said, ‘Most academic activities are concerned with ASUU, even though we have several OAU lecturers who are CONUA members. I just hope the strike gets called off by the end of the two weeks, or even before, as ASUU is mainly responsible for our lectures. Freshers are still battling resumption issues.’
Oluwaseun, a 300-level student, stated that the ASUU strike is about her future. However, she is awaiting the resolution of ASUU to find out if they will prolong the strike or if it is unjust for two weeks. She also added that CONUA’s not joining the strike will cause discrepancies, so it would be best for CONUA to align with ASUU’s decision. She noted that this strike will adversely affect the newly admitted students who are already on campus and will bear some of the brunt, while hoping for ASUU to call off the strike within the two weeks. Moreover, she mentioned that she will not be attending lectures, as the lack of alignment between the two unions will cause academic imbalance.
Other students also expressed fears that the strike could distort the university’s academic calendar. Ayomide Comfort, a student from the Faculty of Social Sciences, remarked that the strike could ’cause a major disruption in the academic calendar, which would halt or delay my degree completion, which ought to be completed by 2027.’
ASUU’s and CONUA’s Positions on the Strike
ASUU OAU Position
In an interview with ACJOAU, the ASUU OAU Chairman, Prof. Anthony Odiwe, urged students to be understanding, describing the ongoing strike as a fight for the survival of the Nigerian university system.
‘All of us are aware of what happened to the secondary and primary school educational systems—that is exactly what the Federal and State Governments are trying to do,’ he said. ‘They are trying to keep public universities at a substandard level so that the private schools being established will flourish.’
He advised students to show understanding, stressing that ASUU’s struggle is not only about lecturers’ welfare but also about the revitalisation and proper funding of the university system.’ He also noted that both TETFUND and the NEEDS Intervention Programme are direct products of ASUU’s struggle, while appealing to students to urge the Nigerian Government to do the right thing.
On the Federal Government’s claim that ASUU has been rejecting dialogue, Prof. Odiwe dismissed it as false. He stated, ‘ASUU has never rejected any dialogue or meeting, be it at the local or national level, called by the government.’ He explained that for the past year, ‘they have been feeding us talks and have not acted on the document we submitted in December,’ adding that the Minister of Education claimed ‘they only saw it in February.’
He elaborated that the document in question was prepared by the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed FGN/ASUU Renegotiation Committee, set up by the Federal Government itself in 2024. ‘All agencies of the government were well represented in the committee—Education, Finance, the Salary and Wages Commission—everyone involved in implementation,’ he said. ‘According to the Minister, they were only waiting on approval to complete the negotiation. However, the Minister brought out a document that contradicts the one submitted, with many of the committee members also being changed.’
According to him, this made dialogue difficult, as it involves discussion between two parties and not just a unilateral decision made by the government.’
Regarding the Federal Government’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy, the ASUU Chairman stated that they are not intimidated by it. ‘It is a threat; it is blackmail. We have gone through it before, and we are not afraid to go through it again. It might be difficult, but we are not cowed,’ he said.
He revealed that the Federal Government still owes ASUU members three months’ salaries from the previous application of the policy. ‘We appeal to them that this is not the way to go, but if it is, then we will respond to whatever they are proposing. And if they believe they have the power to invoke ‘No Work, No Pay,’ they should also remember that ASUU has the power to invoke ‘No Pay, No Work,’ he said.
Prof. Odiwe stated that ASUU will not repeat what it did after the last seven-and-a-half-month strike, when lecturers returned to cover topics meant to be taught during the strike period, even after affected students had graduated. ‘We did that work, and the government is still owing us for it,’ he said. ‘We won’t be doing any work if the Federal Government insists on ‘No Work, No Pay.’’
When asked about CONUA, he described them as ‘a union and association on their own,’ but maintained that ‘every lecturer is affected,’ adding that ‘hypocrisy is what is preventing some people from fighting for their rights while continuing to endure suffering.’ He further remarked that ‘when the solution comes, they will also be among those who will enjoy what we are fighting for,’ and argued that CONUA’s ‘alternative to resolution, other than strike, is not working, as evidenced by the last five years since it was established.’
Regarding whether the strike would extend beyond the initial two-week warning, he said, ‘ASUU, as a union of intellectuals, will have to process any decision thoroughly through the organs of the union after the two weeks, making decisions based on government reactions — whether to extend or call off the strike.’
In conclusion, he appealed again for students’ understanding, noting that ‘when two elephants fight, it’s the grass that bears the brunt — but here, the two elephants are the Federal Government, as they are the ones who can do and undo.’ He explained that ‘the grasses are both the ASUU lecturers and the students, as the lecturers are also victims of the situation.’ He added that ‘the Federal Government is not prioritising education enough,’ arguing that ‘if it were other sectors important to them, a supplementary budget would have been passed by now.’ He concluded, ‘Any country that fails to prioritise education is doomed to underdevelopment.’
CONUA’s Position
Speaking with ACJOAU, the Chairperson of CONUA-OAU, Professor Folasade O. Hunsu, reaffirmed that members of the association are not part of the ongoing industrial action and will continue to carry out their academic duties.
She recalled that during the 2019 and 2022 strikes, several CONUA members continued teaching, completed their courses, and even conducted examinations. ‘We are not on strike,’ she said. ‘Our members have been attending meetings and handling administrative responsibilities as usual.’
Explaining the union’s stance, she said CONUA’s decision to keep working is rooted in its commitment to protect students and preserve the integrity of the university system. According to her, prolonged strikes have placed Nigerian students at a disadvantage on the global stage, as extended years of study often raise concerns from employers and international institutions.
She acknowledged that CONUA shares similar frustrations with ASUU regarding government neglect, but stressed that the union believes in dialogue and legal engagement rather than recurring strikes. “Even after wars, people still return to the table to talk,” she said. “So why not continue engaging the government constructively instead of halting the system every time?”
Reacting to claims that CONUA serves as a government-backed alternative to weaken ASUU’s collective strength, the Chairperson dismissed such suggestions, noting that the association’s registration was delayed for nearly five years — a process that, in her words, proves its independence. ‘Nobody is using CONUA,’ she said. ‘Our principles are guided by what we believe is best for our country and our institutions.’
History and How Does This Affect Resumption and the University Calendar?
This will not be the first time that both unions have opposing positions; recall that the same thing happened in 2019. However, the two-week ASUU warning strike overlaps with some scheduled outlines in the academic calendar, which include the start of course registration, orientation, and ICT training for new students, as well as the scheduled resumption of returning students. These early semester outlines may be rescheduled or stacked together to make up for the lost time once the school resumes.