ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike Over Unpaid Salaries, Agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened to reactivate its suspended nationwide strike if the Federal Government and state governments fail to resolve outstanding issues concerning the welfare of university lecturers.

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The union’s warning followed an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council at the University of Abuja, where members reviewed the implementation of the December 2025 agreement, withheld salaries and unremitted deductions.

In a statement issued in the early hours of Friday by ASUU President, Prof Christopher Piwuna, the union said the December 2025 agreement, reached after years of negotiations, remained only partially implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments.

ASUU warned that it could withdraw its members from classrooms “without any further notice” if urgent measures were not taken to address the outstanding issues.

It 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 said Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa states had also indicated plans to commence implementation in September or October, urging the remaining states to act before the situation degenerated into a major industrial dispute.

On withheld salaries, ASUU acknowledged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had released four of the 7.5 months’ salaries withheld during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, the union demanded payment of the remaining 3.5 months, while also alleging that pension contributions, cooperative deductions and union check-off dues running into billions of naira had not been remitted for several months.

ASUU said the failure to fully implement the 2025 agreement, alongside unpaid salaries and unremitted deductions, was threatening industrial harmony in the nation’s public universities.

The union therefore urged both the Federal Government and state governments to urgently resolve the outstanding matters, warning that it would not accept responsibility if it was compelled to resume the suspended industrial action.