The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning that it may resume its nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands before the expiration of its one-month ultimatum.
Abdulkadir Muhammad, ASUU’s Kano Zonal Coordinator, made the announcement on Monday during a news conference in Kano, following a zonal meeting of the union. The lecturers, who had suspended a warning strike in October, had given the Federal Government a month to address key demands concerning their welfare and the need to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning in Nigerian universities.
Muhammad criticized the slow pace of renegotiation efforts, describing it as a major obstacle to meaningful progress in revitalizing the nation’s public university system. “Our hope for a holistic and timely resolution of the issues is increasingly being dashed,” he said, emphasizing that the suspension of the strike in October was intended as a goodwill gesture toward Nigerians.
The Kano zonal meeting included representatives from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Bayero University Kano (BUK); Kaduna State University (KASU); Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil; Federal University Dutse (FUD); Northwest University (NWU), Kano; and Sule Lamido University (SLUK), Kafin Hausa.
Muhammad further noted that ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC), which met on November 8 and 9 at Taraba State University, expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s lack of genuine commitment toward addressing lecturers’ welfare and improving conditions in public universities.
“It is unfortunate that some government functionaries employ different tactics to undermine the renegotiation process and misinform the public on the state of our engagements,” he said. He added that current government proposals are insufficient to improve working conditions or attract skilled scholars from abroad to Nigerian universities.
The ASUU Kano Zonal Coordinator also urged the Federal Government to implement a moratorium on the establishment of state universities, warning that many governors continue to open universities without providing adequate funding. “Governors have cultivated the habit of establishing universities in their states without commitment to funding them,” he said.
As the ultimatum period draws closer, the higher education sector remains on edge, with students and staff alike awaiting decisive action from the government to avert a possible nationwide disruption in academic activities.