The Academic Staff Union of Universities has issued a fresh warning as ASUU threatens nationwide strike resumption following an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
Union President Christopher Piwuna disclosed in an official statement on Friday that public university lecturers are preparing to down tools once again due to the Federal Government's poor implementation of the December 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
Piwuna explained that after more than eight years of arduous negotiations, government authorities at both federal and state levels have failed to fulfill core commitments, leaving academics in deep financial uncertainty and prompting urgent calls for immediate intervention before campus activities ground to a halt.
Central to the growing labor dispute is the issue of outstanding financial entitlements, with the union pointing out that three and a half months out of the seven and a half months' salaries withheld during the previous administration remain completely unpaid.
Central to the growing labor dispute is the issue of outstanding financial entitlements, with the union pointing out that three and a half months out of the seven and a half months' salaries withheld during the previous administration remain completely unpaid.
Although President Bola Tinubu previously authorized the release of four months' back pay, the union expressed deep regret that no progress has been made on the remaining balance, severe inflation having drastically eroded the purchasing power of those earned wages.
Furthermore, the union raised alarm over billions of naira systematically deducted from lecturers' monthly paychecks for pensions, cooperative societies, and union check-off dues that have allegedly gone unremitted for several months, further compounding the financial distress of university staff nationwide.
As ASUU threatens nationwide strike action within the shortest possible timeframe, the union highlighted regional governance disparities affecting public tertiary institutions across the country.
As ASUU threatens nationwide strike action within the shortest possible timeframe, the union highlighted regional governance disparities affecting public tertiary institutions across the country.
Piwuna commended Abia State Governor Alex Otti and a few other state chief executives who have begun implementing the 2025 agreement, while strongly criticizing Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke over a controversial two-year tenure extension granted to Osun State University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye.
The union argued that such tenure extensions violate university statutes and undermine institutional autonomy. Additionally, ASUU backed Nigeria Labour Congress President Joe Ajaero’s demand for an immediate review of the National Minimum Wage to cushion severe economic hardships, appealing to parents, students, media practitioners, and civic leaders to intervene before another widespread disruption hits the nation's public university system.
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