ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike Over Unresolved Issues, Withheld Salaries

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

The union said it could order its members to down tools without further notice, warning that continued failure to address the issues could plunge the nation’s university system into another industrial crisis.

The warning was contained in resolutions reached at the end of ASUU’s emergency National Executive Council meeting held at its national secretariat, University of Abuja, on September 5, 2026.

In a statement issued on Friday by the union’s President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, ASUU accused the Federal Government and several state governments of failing to fully implement the December 2025 agreement reached with the union after more than eight years of negotiations and industrial disputes.

The union said the situation had been worsened by the continued withholding of portions of lecturers’ salaries since 2022, non-remittance of third-party deductions, alleged interference in university autonomy and the deteriorating condition of the academic profession.

ASUU warned that it would not accept responsibility if the unresolved issues eventually forced it to embark on another 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 for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” the union said.

According to the union, apart from recent efforts by the Federal Ministry of Education to clear outstanding salaries owed by some Federal Universities of Agriculture, there had been no sustainable effort to comprehensively resolve its concerns.

ASUU said lecturers continued to face uncertainty over their monthly salaries, particularly regarding when payments would be made and how much would eventually be received.

It said the situation had created recurring disputes between academic staff and university authorities.

State Governments

The union, however, commended state governors who had commenced the implementation of the December 2025 agreement.

ASUU specifically praised Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, for publicly announcing the full adoption of the agreement and apologising for bureaucratic delays that had hindered its implementation.

The union also acknowledged Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno states for commencing implementation of the agreement.

It further noted commitments by Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa states to commence implementation in September or October.

ASUU urged other governors to act promptly to prevent state-owned universities from being plunged into industrial crises.

The union disclosed that authorities of affected universities had been notified of the commencement of strike actions in the respective institutions, with the backing of its National Executive Council, unless satisfactory progress was recorded.

Withheld Salaries

On the issue of withheld salaries, ASUU said three-and-a-half months remained unpaid out of the seven-and-a-half months’ salaries withheld from its members during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The union acknowledged President Bola Tinubu for releasing four months of the withheld salaries but said the outstanding balance continued to impose serious financial hardship on affected lecturers.

ASUU said its members had endured considerable financial and psychological difficulties as a result of the withheld income, which it noted had lost more than half of its value between 2022 and 2026.

“Our members have endured enormous financial and psychological discomforts on account of the withheld income, which has suffered a devaluation of more than 50 per cent between 2022 and now,” the union said.

The union also demanded the immediate remittance of billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries as third-party contributions.

The deductions, according to ASUU, include pension contributions, staff cooperative funds and union check-off dues.

It alleged that the failure of the authorities to remit the funds promptly had caused financial losses and additional hardship for its members.

ASUU maintained that urgent action by both the Federal and state governments remained necessary to prevent the unresolved issues from escalating into another nationwide disruption of academic activities.