The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to immediately return to the negotiation table to resolve the dispute that triggered the union’s two-week warning strike.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved during plenary on Tuesday by the member representing Badagry Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Hon. Oluwaseun Whinghan.
ASUU had on Monday commenced a two-week warning strike over the Federal Government’s alleged failure to honour key agreements, including the implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, revitalisation of public universities, payment of earned academic allowances, review of salary structures, and reinforcement of university autonomy.
The union said it was frustrated by the government’s repeated delays in addressing these long-standing demands, adding that the strike was meant to draw attention to the worsening state of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
Before the industrial action began, the Minister of Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, had reassured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was in the final stage of discussions with ASUU to resolve all pending issues.
However, Whinghan, while moving his motion, expressed concern that the renewed strike could once again plunge the academic system into crisis if not swiftly resolved.
“The House notes that although ASUU has described the strike as a warning, previous experiences show that such actions often degenerate into prolonged shutdowns,” he said.
The lawmaker emphasised that frequent disruptions in university education have severe implications for academic stability, research output, and national productivity.
