The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that Nigeria’s public universities could face another nationwide strike if the Federal and State Governments fail to resolve outstanding salary, welfare and agreement implementation issues.
The warning followed an emergency National Executive Council meeting held at the union’s National Secretariat at the University of Abuja on September 5, 2026.
ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, said the union would not accept responsibility for any disruption to academic activities if the outstanding issues remained unresolved.
The union identified the non or haphazard implementation of the December 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries from the previous administration, unremitted third-party deductions and concerns over university autonomy as major issues.
Piwuna said lecturers continued to face uncertainty over the payment of their monthly salaries, adding that the situation was creating growing industrial tension across public universities.
He warned that ASUU could activate nationwide strike action within the shortest possible time if the government failed to take immediate and concrete steps to address the concerns.
According to the union, three-and-a-half months out of seven-and-a-half months in withheld salaries from the Buhari administration remain unpaid. ASUU acknowledged that the President Bola Tinubu administration had paid four months of the arrears.
The union said the outstanding payments had caused financial and psychological hardship for lecturers, while the value of the withheld income had declined by more than 50 per cent since 2022.
Third-party deductions unresolved
ASUU also raised concerns over pension contributions, cooperative society deductions and union check-off dues deducted from lecturers’ salaries but allegedly not remitted appropriately for several months.
The union said engagements with the government had produced only limited progress on the issue and warned that it could call out its members if the matter remained unresolved.
The warning comes days after the Federal Government announced steps to implement part of the 2025 agreement.
On September 9, the government announced the release of funds for the full payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for January to August 2026.
Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, said the payment was being implemented in line with the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
ASUU, however, maintained that several core elements of the agreement remained outstanding.
Strike action already spreading
The union said unresolved disputes had already pushed some state university branches towards industrial action.
ASUU chapters at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, and Plateau State University have declared indefinite strikes over unresolved demands, including the implementation of the 2025 agreement and payment of arrears.
At Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa, the ASUU branch announced a two-week warning strike beginning September 15 over unresolved issues with the Jigawa State Government, warning that the action could escalate into a total and indefinite strike.
ASUU commended states including Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for commencing implementation of the 2025 agreement.
It also noted commitments to begin implementation in Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa in September or October.
The union stressed that its latest statement was not an immediate declaration of a nationwide strike, but a warning that its suspended industrial action could be activated if the government fails to respond satisfactorily.
ASUU said it remained open to negotiations with the Federal and State Governments, while calling on students, parents, labour leaders, the media and other Nigerians to intervene before the situation escalates.
