The Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned that it may revive its suspended nationwide strike if the Federal Government and state governments fail to resolve outstanding issues affecting university lecturers.
The union issued the warning after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council at the University of Abuja, saying it could return to industrial action “without any further notice.”
In a statement signed by its President, Christopher Piwuna, and sent to journalists early Friday, ASUU accused governments of failing to fully implement the December 2025 agreement reached after years of negotiations.
The union listed the payment of the remaining 3.5 months of withheld salaries, remittance of deductions from lecturers’ salaries and full implementation of the agreement among the issues demanding urgent attention.
“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,” ASUU warned.
The union commended Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, as well as the governments of Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for taking steps towards implementing the agreement.
It said Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa states had also indicated that they would begin implementation between September and October.
However, ASUU warned other state governments to act quickly or risk plunging their universities into what it described as an “industrial crisis of monumental proportions.”
On the withheld salaries, the union acknowledged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had released four months out of the 7.5 months withheld under the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
ASUU, however, demanded immediate payment of the outstanding 3.5 months.
“We have consistently acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for paying four (4) out of the withheld salaries. However, leaving out the unpaid balance does not give his government the full credit of a labour-friendly administration,” the union said.
The lecturers’ body also alleged that billions of naira deducted from members’ salaries as pension contributions, cooperative payments and union check-off dues had not been remitted for several months.
According to ASUU, the outstanding payments and deductions, combined with what it described as the “non- or haphazard implementation” of the 2025 agreement, were threatening industrial harmony across public universities.
“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,” it stated.
The union urged the Federal Government and state governments to resolve the outstanding issues without further delay, stressing that it would not accept responsibility if the suspended strike was reinstated.
“ASUU-NEC resolved to notify all concerned that the Union may activate its suspended strike action without any further notice if the critical issues raised in this release are not speedily addressed,” the statement added.
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