The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to use the remaining 10 days of the one-month window granted to it to fully resolve lingering issues affecting the university system.

The call followed resolutions from the union’s National Executive Council meeting held at Taraba State University, Jalingo, between November 8 and 9.

In a statement, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna said the warning became necessary as some government officials were “undermining the negotiation process” by making statements that misrepresented government offers and the status of implementation.

ASUU suspended its two-week warning strike on October 22, giving government until November 22 to meet key demands, including the review of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and release of the university revitalisation fund.

The union warned it would resume industrial action without notice if concrete steps were not taken.

Prof. Piwuna said part-payment of promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and the release of third-party deductions were merely confidence-boosting gestures and not the core issues under negotiation. He stressed that while some progress had been made in non-monetary areas, salary and welfare matters required a more radical approach.

The union said the real challenge was lack of political will to prioritise education, insisting that academics deserve better living and working conditions.

The Federal Ministry of Education has announced the commencement of disbursement under the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF) to strengthen staff welfare, institutional productivity, and innovation across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

This was contained in a press statement released late Thursday night and made available to the media by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry.

Launched in August 2025, following a high-level stakeholders’ session in July, the TISSF has now moved from planning to implementation, with over 9,000 staff beneficiaries receiving disbursements in the first year.

This represents 28 per cent of the 33,000 verified applicants drawn from 219 federal and state tertiary institutions across the federation.

According to the statement, in the first year of implementation, the beneficiary composition reflects a 30:70 ratio of academic to non-academic staff, underscoring the Ministry’s commitment to inclusive support for all categories of tertiary institution personnel.

Speaking on the milestone, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, commended the leadership and vision of President Bola Tinubu.

“The President is delivering for our tertiary institutions for welfare, for productivity, and for the future. Within just four months, payments havee started going out. This is a President that delivers, and the Ministry of Education is profoundly grateful for his continuous support and commitment to staff welfare,” he stated.

The TISSF initiative represents a critical component of the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) framework.

It is strategically designed to improve the welfare, morale, and performance of tertiary institution staff while reinforcing the institutions as centres of excellence, innovation, and knowledge creation.

Through concessionary zero-interest loans and welfare support packages, the TISSF empowers staff by offering each member up to N10 million in loans to address key livelihood and productivity challenges, including access to housing, education, healthcare, mobility, and small business development.

“This Fund is not merely about disbursement; it is about restoring dignity, rewarding dedication, and rebuilding the foundation of our knowledge economy,” said Dr Alausa.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended the two-week warning strike it began on October 13, 2025.

The strike, which was set to expire next Monday, was suspended following renewed commitments from the Federal Government and the National Assembly to address the union’s demands.

ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, citing recent interventions and engagements with the Yayale Ahmed-led committee and the Deputy Senate President as the reasons for suspending the action before its scheduled end.

However, the lecturers urged the government to take advantage of the one-month suspension window to meet their demands, which include the review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and disbursement of the university revitalisation fund, among others.

ASUU also warned that the union would resume the industrial action without prior notice if no concrete steps are taken within the next one month.