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Claim: An X handle @asuunews claimed the Academic Staff Union of Universities is embarking on an indefinite strike starting Friday, Nov 21, 2025.
Verdict: Misleading! President of the Union, Chris Piwuna, told DUBAWA that the union had not yet made a decision, noting that members will first meet to decide on a course of action as the ultimatum given to the government will elapse on Friday, November 21, 2025.
Full Text
There has been a long-standing battle between the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the government’s failure to meet the demands of the Union.
Over the years, students in government universities have been forced to stay at home for extended periods due to the frequent industrial actions.
While historical records indicate that the ASUU strike dates back to the 1980s, four decades later, these issues remain unresolved.
Part of the union’s demands in recent times include the review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries, and disbursement of the university revitalisation fund.
In October 2025, ASUU embarked on a two-week warning strike, which was later called off prematurely after commitments from the FG and the National Assembly to address the union’s demands.
The union warned that it would resume industrial action without prior notice if the government does not take concrete steps within the next one month, which is Nov. 21, 2025.
As a result, an X handle @asuunews tweeted that ASUU is embarking on an indefinite strike by Nov 21, 2025,
This tweet was quoted by Daily Post and Business Day in their reports on the upcoming strike. However, other outlets had different variants of the story. The report of an impending strike action has sparked widespread conversation offline and online and DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA contacted ASUU President Chris Piwuna, who stated that the union had yet to make a decision. He said the union always meets to decide on such a major decision, but the strike action has not been agreed on.
He noted that those who reported a nationwide action may not be entirely wrong because, based on the ultimatum given to the government on November 21, the union has not yet decided to go on strike nationwide.
Additionally, he informed DUBAWA that ASUU does not have an X or Facebook handle, stating that the handlers may occasionally provide accurate information, but that does not mean they are operating under the authority of ASUU.
Meanwhile, the Kano zonal coordinator of the union, Abdulkadir Muhammad, has recently warned that members will embark on industrial action if the government fails to meet the union’s demands.
Conclusion
While the one-month deadline ASUU gave the FG is November 21, the president of the union said members have yet to agree on an indefinite strike action, as claimed by some social media handles.
