ASUU threatens another nationwide strike as lecturers demand unpaid salaries and non-implementation of agreed welfare packages

• ASUU is threatening fresh industrial action over unpaid salaries, allowances and unresolved welfare issues.

• The union accused some governments of failing to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement. 

• Lecturers are demanding payment of outstanding entitlements, deductions and withheld salaries. 

• ASUU warned that continued delays could worsen brain drain in Nigerian universities. 

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened another nationwide strike over unresolved issues affecting university lecturers, including unpaid salaries, allowances and the incomplete implementation of agreements reached with the Federal Government.

The union said it may be forced to take industrial action if the outstanding issues are not addressed, accusing some government authorities of failing to honour commitments made under the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement. 

ASUU’s concerns include the non-implementation of parts of the agreement, unpaid allowances, promotion arrears, salary-related issues and delays in remitting deductions made from lecturers’ earnings, according to reports from the union’s various zones. 

The union has particularly raised concerns over the failure of some state governments to implement the agreement, despite being represented during negotiations that led to the deal.

Speaking on the matter, ASUU leaders accused affected governments of delaying the implementation of agreed welfare packages, warning that continued inaction could disrupt academic activities across public universities. 

The union’s Kano Zone, for instance, said several state-owned universities had yet to implement key parts of the agreement, including allowances and other welfare provisions.

“While the Federal Government has begun implementing some key aspects of the agreement in most federal universities, none of the state-owned universities within the zone has domesticated or implemented the agreement,” ASUU said. 

RELATED: FG finally pays lecturers’ ‘tools money’ after months of waiting

ASUU also renewed its demand for the payment of outstanding withheld salaries from a previous industrial action, insisting that lecturers continued academic activities before and after the strike period.

The union said unresolved welfare issues were contributing to the migration of experienced academics from Nigerian universities, warning that continued delays could worsen brain drain in the education sector. 

In July, ASUU had also raised concerns over the partial implementation of the 2025 agreement, with different zones of the union threatening industrial action if outstanding issues were not resolved. 

The union urged relevant authorities to address the outstanding demands and prevent another disruption to academic activities in Nigerian public universities.