The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kano Zone, has warned that Nigeria may face another nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of moving too slowly in addressing critical issues affecting public universities. The union issued the warning on Monday in Kano while presenting the outcome of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held from 8 to 9 November at Taraba State University. The Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Abdulkadir Muhammad, said the prolonged negotiations had fuelled fears of fresh disruption across campuses.
ASUU noted that the warning comes barely weeks after it suspended its two-week warning strike on 21 October. Dr. Muhammad said the suspension was intended to enable meaningful dialogue, following appeals from the National Assembly, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), parents, students and other stakeholders. However, he warned that the government’s slow response threatened to “dash the hope” of resolving long-standing problems in the university system, calling the situation dangerous for the education sector.
Speaking during the briefing, Dr. Muhammad said the union was disappointed that the Federal Government had not demonstrated sufficient commitment since the strike was suspended. He stressed that many issues — some pending for years — remained unresolved.
He also accused certain government officials of “peddling false narratives” to create the impression that ASUU’s demands had already been met. According to him, although the government had cleared some promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and released part of withheld third-party deductions, inflation had eroded the value of the payments, leaving lecturers’ welfare unchanged.
Dr. Muhammad described the continued neglect of the education sector as “alarming” and said it was a major driver of the ongoing brain drain affecting public universities. He added that persistent funding decline was undermining the quality of teaching and research nationwide.
He also criticised the rising number of newly established universities without adequate funding. While welcoming the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions, he urged that the policy be extended to state governments, arguing that “many state governments establish universities as political projects without a sustainable funding plan.”
With ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government nearing its end, Dr. Muhammad appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, parents and students to pressure the government “to address the outstanding issues and avert a fresh nationwide strike.”
