
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is a Nigerian union of university academic staff, founded in 1978. ASUU is an offshoot of the Nigerian Association of University Teachers (NAUT) which was established in 1965. At that time, NAUT consisted of only five universities in total including University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Ife and University of Lagos.


The union created in 1978 to cater for the interests of all academic staff in Federal and State Universities in Nigeria.
Over the years, ASUU have embarked on various strike actions that has sent ripples across the Nigerian education system. ASUU strikes have caused trauma to students beginning from the first ASUU strike to the most recent one which lasted eight months, here’s a timeline of all ASUU strikes in Nigerian Universities, from 1988-2022.
1988-1990 :
Reason for Strike action: Equitable Salary and Autonomy of Universities.
The Union was active in struggles against the military regime during the 1980s. In 1988 the union organized a National Strike to obtain fair wages and university autonomy. As a result, the ASUU was proscribed on 7 August 1988 and all its property seized. It was allowed to resume in 1990.
Outcome: Agreement to Improve Salary terms and Autonomy of Nigerian Universities
2001:
Reason for strike action: Dismissal of 49 UNILORIN lecturers.
In 2001, ASUU embarked on strike action in protest to the unfair dismissal of the 49 lecturers of UNILORIN, the strike took a turn for the worse when the former president Olusegun Obasanjo referred to ASUU as “a bunch of lazy individuals” the strike was eventually called off 3 months later after reaching an agreement with the Federal government.ut
2002: Strike action for failure to implement previous agreements
Outcome: Implementation of some of the existing agreements.


2003:
Reason for strike action: Disparities in Salary and retirement age.
This year is remembered as one of the worst ASUU strikes in history, due to failure of the government to implement previous agreements, disparities in Salary and retirement age, ASUU embarked on an Intense strike which lasted for a period of 6 months.
Outcome: Agreement between the Federal government and ASUU for improved Salary and retirement terms.
2005:
Duration: 2 weeks.
Reason for strike action: Failure to implement previous agreements.
Outcome: Implementation of some of the agreed terms.
2006:
Duration: 1 week.
Reason for strike action: Failure to implement previous agreements.
Outcome: Implementation of some of the agreed terms.


2007:
Duration: 3months.
Reason for strike action: Failure to implement previous agreements.
Outcome: Implementation of some of the agreed terms.
2008
Duration: 1 week.
Reason for strike action: Failure to implement previous agreements.
Outcome: Implementation of some of the agreed terms.
2009:
Duration: 4 months
Reason for strike action: Failure to implement previous agreements.
Outcome: Formation of a committee between FG and ASUU that produced the 2009 FG)ASUU Memorandum of Understanding.
Since the signing of this MOU in 2009, ASUU’s major reasons for Strike action has been for the lack of implementation of the agreements.


The subsequent strike actions are as follows;
2010-2011 (5 months)
2011-2012 (2 months)
2013 (6 Months)
2017 (1 month)
2018-2019 (3 months)
2020 (9 months)
2022 14 February 2022 – 14 October 2022 (8 months)
In recent months, ASUU have embarked on several warnings and threats to strike with the most recent being on the 20th of August 2024. Do you think ASUU stirkes is
Do you think ASUU strikes are justified and will they embark on another intense strike?
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