ASUU Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Unpaid Salaries, Unimplemented Agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to resume its suspended nationwide strike if the Federal Government and affected state governments fail to urgently resolve outstanding issues concerning the welfare and remuneration of university lecturers.

The union said it could reactivate the suspended industrial action without further notice, citing the incomplete implementation of the December 2025 agreement, the outstanding 3.5 months of withheld salaries and the failure to remit billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ earnings.

The warning followed an emergency meeting of ASUU’s National Executive Council held at the University of Abuja.

The union’s President, Professor Christopher Piwuna, conveyed the position in a statement issued in the early hours of Friday.

According to ASUU, the December 2025 agreement was reached after more than eight years of negotiations and struggles but remains only partially implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments.

The union warned that continued delays in addressing the outstanding issues could push the nation’s public universities into another round of industrial action.

“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to FULLY and COMPREHENSIVELY address issues bordering the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” the union said.

ASUU, however, commended Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, as well as the governments of Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for beginning the implementation of the agreement.

The union added that Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa states had pledged to commence implementation in September or October.

It urged other state governments to take similar steps before the situation deteriorates into what it described as an “industrial crisis of monumental proportions” in their respective universities.

Withheld Salaries
On the issue of withheld salaries,

ASUU acknowledged the efforts of the administration of President Bola Tinubu in paying four of the 7.5 months of salaries withheld from lecturers during the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, the union demanded the immediate payment of the remaining 3.5 months.

“We have consistently acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for paying four (4) out of the withheld salaries.

However, leaving out the unpaid balance does not give his government the full credit of a labour-friendly administration,” ASUU stated.

The union also raised concerns over the alleged non-remittance of pension contributions, cooperative deductions and union check-off dues deducted from lecturers’ salaries.
According to ASUU, the outstanding deductions amount to billions of naira and have remained unremitted for several months.

The union warned that the combination of unpaid salaries, unremitted deductions and the incomplete implementation of the 2025 agreement was creating growing tension within the university system and threatening industrial peace.

“In no mistaken terms, ASUU posits that the non- or haphazard implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement by federal and state governments is a recipe for industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities,” the union said.

ASUU therefore called on the Federal Government and state governments to act swiftly to resolve the outstanding matters.

It stressed that it would not accept responsibility for the consequences if the suspended strike is reactivated.

“ASUU-NEC resolved to notify all concerned that the Union may activate its suspended strike action without any further notice if the critical issues raised in this release are not speedily addressed,” the union warned.

The latest threat raises fresh concerns over the stability of Nigeria’s public university system, with students and parents potentially facing another disruption to the academic calendar if the government and the lecturers’ union fail to reach a resolution.

ASUU’s position also places renewed pressure on both federal and state authorities to demonstrate concrete commitment to the implementation of agreements reached with university lecturers and to prevent another nationwide shutdown of public universities.

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