ASUU threatens strike over unpaid salaries, 2025 agreement implementation

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

ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja in a statement issued after the union’s emergency National Executive Council meeting.

Piwuna said three-and-a-half months out of the seven-and-a-half months’ salaries withheld from lecturers remained unpaid, while several aspects of the December 2025 agreement had also not been fully implemented.

What they are saying

The latest threat comes amid unresolved welfare issues affecting university lecturers, with ASUU saying outstanding salary arrears and other obligations under the 2025 agreement remain unsettled.

The union warned that continued failure by the Federal Government to address the issues could trigger another nationwide industrial action.

• “The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to resume its suspended nationwide strike over unpaid salaries and poor implementation of the 2025 agreement.
• “ASUU president, Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Friday in Abuja, after the union’s emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
• “Piwuna said the December 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, achieved after more than eight years of struggle, had been poorly implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments,” the NAN report read in part.

ASUU said the outstanding arrears remain a financial and psychological burden on affected academics.

The union also cited unremitted pension, cooperative and check-off deductions, promotion arrears and other outstanding obligations.

It warned that failure to resolve the issues could lead to another nationwide strike.

The Tinubu administration has paid four months of the withheld salaries, leaving three-and-a-half months outstanding, according to ASUU.

Flashback

ASUU has embarked on several nationwide strikes over the years, largely over lecturers’ welfare, university funding and the implementation of agreements reached with successive governments. The latest dispute comes against the backdrop of years of unresolved issues and recurring industrial action.

• In 2022, ASUU embarked on an eight-month nationwide strike over issues including university funding, earned allowances, salary-related matters and implementation of the 2009 agreement.
• The strike began in February 2022 and was suspended in October after the National Industrial Court ordered the lecturers to resume work.
• In 2020, the union also embarked on a prolonged strike that lasted about nine months over issues including IPPIS, unpaid allowances and implementation of agreements.

The Federal Government and ASUU resumed negotiations in 2025 and reached a new agreement in December covering remuneration, allowances and other issues.

The latest threat reflects the union’s continued concerns over the implementation of the agreement and payment of outstanding obligations.

Get up to speed

The Federal Government and ASUU have implemented some aspects of the 2025 agreement, including adjustments to lecturers’ remuneration and academic allowances, but disputes over outstanding payments have continued.

• On January 14, 2026, the Federal Government and ASUU signed a renegotiated agreement providing a 40% increase in remuneration for university lecturers, a new professorial allowance and adjustments to existing academic allowances.
• On February 10, 2026, the Federal Government began implementing the 40% increase in the Consolidated Academic Allowance (CAA) for ASUU members, effective from January 1, 2026.
• On June 30, ASUU’s Benin Zone threatened indefinite industrial action across Edo, Delta and Ondo states over alleged non-implementation of agreed provisions, including unpaid CATA and other allowances.
• On September 9, the Federal Government released funds to pay eight months of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

The developments show that payments have commenced on some components of the agreement, but several outstanding issues remain unresolved.

What you should know

The latest CATA payment is separate from the seven-and-a-half months of salaries withheld from lecturers during the ASUU strike under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration through the “no work, no pay” policy. ASUU says the government’s payment of four months leaves three-and-a-half months outstanding.

• The union also cited unremitted pension, cooperative and check-off deductions.
• Promotion arrears and other outstanding obligations remain part of ASUU’s concerns.
• The December 2025 agreement was intended to address long-standing issues concerning lecturers’ remuneration and working conditions.

ASUU President Christopher Piwuna warned on September 11 that the union could resume nationwide industrial action if the outstanding issues are not resolved.

The threat indicates that recent payments have not fully settled the dispute between the Federal Government and university lecturers.