ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike Over Unpaid Salaries, Broken Agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to resume its suspended nationwide strike over unpaid salaries and what it describes as poor implementation of the December 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.

ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Friday in Abuja, following the union's emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

Piwuna said the agreement — reached after more than eight years of sustained struggle — has been poorly implemented by both the Federal Government and several state governments, leaving lecturers uncertain about their salaries and entitlements. He warned that a failure to address these issues could trigger another round of nationwide industrial action.

"Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to fully and comprehensively address issues bordering on the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame," Piwuna said, adding that the union could call its members out "on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible" should the government fail to satisfactorily resolve the outstanding matters.

According to Piwuna, three and a half months out of the seven and a half months' salaries withheld under the Buhari administration remain unpaid, despite the Tinubu administration having settled four of those months. "We note with regrets that nothing has changed about the three-and-half months' salaries left out of the seven-and-half months withheld by the Buhari Government since we last addressed the public," he said.

He noted that the unpaid salaries have caused significant financial and psychological hardship for lecturers, whose purchasing power has declined considerably since the funds were originally earned. Piwuna also raised concerns over billions of naira deducted from lecturers' salaries for pensions, cooperative societies, and ASUU check-off dues, which he alleged have gone unremitted for several months.

"ASUU-NEC is fully prepared to call out its members if nothing concrete is done to address this lingering problem without further delay," he said.

The ASUU president commended Abia State Governor Alex Otti and other governors who have implemented the 2025 agreement, urging states yet to comply to act swiftly in order to avert an industrial crisis. He criticised Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, however, over the two-year tenure extension granted to Osun State University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye, describing the move as contrary to university law. Piwuna warned that such action could undermine university autonomy and reintroduce unhealthy practices associated with tenure extensions, urging Adeleke to reconsider his decision.

Piwuna also lent his support to Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero's call for an immediate review of the National Minimum Wage to help cushion the effects of worsening economic hardship. He appealed to students, parents, labour leaders, media practitioners, and other Nigerians to intervene in the brewing crisis before it escalates into another disruption of university education.

"ASUU cannot guarantee uninterrupted academic calendar at the expense of the existential needs of our members," Piwuna said, adding that while the union remains open to dialogue with the Federal Government and state governments, a failure to achieve satisfactory progress could force it to resume the suspended strike.