The Federal Government has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its ongoing strike, insisting that it has met all of the union’s demands.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated this on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief.”

According to Alausa, the government has engaged ASUU repeatedly since his assumption of office and addressed “every single request” made by the union, including the payment of ₦50 billion in earned academic allowances.

“We have addressed every single request by ASUU. There is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school,” he said.

ASUU had on Sunday declared a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria, citing the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill its agreements.

The announcement was made by ASUU’s National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, during a press briefing at the University of Abuja.

“There is nothing sufficient on the ground to stop the implementation of the ASUU-NEC’s resolution to embark on a two-week warning strike at the expiry of the 14-day notice given on September 28, 2025. Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services from midnight, Monday, October 13, 2025,” Piwuna said.

However, Alausa described ASUU’s action as unjustified, claiming the union had already made up its mind to strike despite ongoing negotiations.

“We’ve literally addressed every single issue that ASUU is requesting. The areas of their earned academic allowance, we’ve paid ₦50 billion,” he noted.

The minister further outlined government interventions, including a ₦683 billion infrastructure allocation for federal tertiary institutions in the 2025 budget, aimed at rehabilitating hostels, lecture theatres, laboratories, and workshops.

He also accused ASUU of delaying the disbursement of the Needs Assessment Fund by insisting that the first tranche be paid exclusively to universities rather than shared with polytechnics and colleges of education.

“It is ASUU that is holding those disbursements,” he alleged.

On other issues such as promotion arrears, third-party deductions, and withheld salaries, Alausa said most matters had been resolved, while some fall under the jurisdiction of individual universities.

He reaffirmed that the three and a half months’ withheld salaries from a previous strike would not be paid in full, citing earlier agreements.

Alausa appealed to students, parents, and the union to prioritise academic stability.

“Let me reassure our students and their parents that the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, will do everything humanly possible to keep you in school. This strike should not have gone on at all,” he said.