The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced its willingness to resume negotiations with the Federal Government in an effort to end the ongoing two-week nationwide strike that has disrupted academic activities across public universities.

ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, stating that the union had received signals from key government officials showing readiness to return to the discussion table.

He revealed that the Federal Government’s negotiation team, led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, and the Minister of State for Labour had reached out to the union for renewed engagement. “We are open and ready to resume dialogue. ASUU has never been opposed to discussion; we believe that dialogue remains the most effective path to resolving these issues,” he stated.

The strike, declared on Sunday, followed years of unfulfilled promises by the government on matters including revitalisation funds, withheld salaries, and the 2009 agreement. The Federal Government, however, maintained that it had substantially met the union’s demands and described the strike as unnecessary.

Reacting to the government’s warning that the “no work, no pay” rule would be enforced, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) cautioned that such a move could worsen the dispute and infringe on workers’ rights to fair negotiation. The NLC pledged its full support for ASUU’s demands for improved welfare and a stronger university system.

Piwuna noted that ASUU expects formal communication from the Implementation and Labour Monitoring Committee within the next 24 hours to fix a meeting date. “We have been informed that a meeting is likely to hold soon. Once we receive official notification, we will honour it immediately,” he said.

Addressing claims by the Minister of Education that all outstanding issues had been resolved, the ASUU president challenged the government to explain why it was still seeking further talks if indeed all matters had been settled.

He reiterated that the strike was a painful but necessary decision, emphasising that both lecturers and students were bearing the brunt of the government’s inaction. “We do not embark on strikes lightly. It’s always a last resort, and our objective is to restore stability and quality to public universities,” he said.

Currently, several institutions, including the University of Ibadan, Tai Solarin University of Education, Olabisi Onabanjo University, and the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, have joined the industrial action, suspending all academic operations.