The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that Nigeria’s public universities could face another nationwide strike if the Federal and State Governments fail to urgently resolve outstanding issues concerning lecturers’ salaries, welfare and the implementation of the 2025 agreement.
The warning followed an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC), held at its National Secretariat at the University of Abuja on September 5, 2026.
ASUU said key issues at the centre of the dispute included the non- or haphazard implementation of the December 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries from the previous administration, unremitted third-party deductions and concerns over university autonomy.
ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, said the union would not accept responsibility for any disruption to academic activities if the outstanding matters were not resolved.
“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,” Piwuna said.
The union said lecturers had continued to face uncertainty over the payment of their monthly salaries, with some reportedly having to engage their university authorities over when and how much they would receive.
ASUU, however, acknowledged recent efforts by the Federal Ministry of Education to clear outstanding salaries owed to staff of Federal Universities of Agriculture.
The union said the unresolved issues had already generated industrial tensions across the university system, with some state university branches moving towards strike action.
ASUU commended Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno states for commencing implementation of the 2025 agreement.
It also noted commitments by Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa states to commence implementation in September or October.
According to the union, universities affected by the unresolved issues had been notified of possible strike actions unless satisfactory progress was recorded.
The warning comes against the backdrop of a series of industrial disputes involving university lecturers in recent weeks.
ASUU chapters at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, and Plateau State University had declared indefinite strikes over unresolved demands, including the implementation of the 2025 agreement and payment of arrears.
At Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa, the ASUU branch also announced a two-week warning strike beginning September 15 over unresolved issues with the Jigawa State Government, with a warning that the action could escalate into a total and indefinite strike.
Withheld Salaries
ASUU said three-and-a-half months of the seven-and-a-half months’ salaries withheld during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari remained unpaid.
The union acknowledged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had paid four months of the withheld salaries but said the outstanding balance continued to impose financial and psychological hardship on lecturers.
It further argued that the value of the withheld income had declined by more than 50 per cent since 2022.
Piwuna said the government should release the outstanding salaries to restore confidence among academics and promote stability within the Nigerian university system.
He said lecturers had continued to perform their duties despite the financial and personal difficulties associated with the withheld salaries.
Third-Party Deductions
Beyond the withheld salaries, ASUU raised concerns over pension contributions, cooperative society deductions and union check-off dues deducted from lecturers’ salaries but allegedly not remitted for several months.
The union said the deductions, which it estimated to run into billions of naira, had remained a major point of contention in its engagements with the government.
It warned that it could call out its members if the matter was not satisfactorily resolved.
The warning comes as the Federal Government has announced steps towards implementing some aspects of the 2025 agreement.
On September 9, the government announced the release of funds for the full payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for January to August 2026.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the payment was being implemented in line with the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
ASUU, however, maintained that other key components of the agreement remained unresolved.
The union called on students, parents, labour leaders, media practitioners and other Nigerians to intervene before the situation escalates into a wider industrial crisis.
“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,” Piwuna said.
ASUU stressed that its latest position did not amount to an immediate declaration of a nationwide strike, but constituted a warning that its suspended industrial action could be activated if the government failed to respond satisfactorily to its demands.
The union said it remained open to negotiations with the Federal and State Governments but maintained that the welfare of university lecturers was inseparable from the stability and effective functioning of Nigeria’s public university system.
