ASUU Threatens Fresh Nationwide Strike Over Unfulfilled 2025 Pact
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared its readiness to launch an immediate, unannounced nationwide strike.
The union has accused both federal and state authorities of failing to honour the critical December 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement, which was finalized after eight years of intense deliberations.
The ultimatum emerged from an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) session convened at the union’s national headquarters at the University of Abuja on Saturday, 5 September 2026.
Salary Delays and Withheld Funds Push Lecturers to the Brink
In an official statement issued by ASUU President Professor Chris Piwuna, the union highlighted the intense operational friction currently taking place within campus administrations. According to the release, university lecturers face severe monthly uncertainty regarding salary payments, creating ongoing tension between academic staff and vice-chancellors.
The union explicitly stated it would absolve itself of any blame should it be forced to withdraw its services at short notice. Key unresolved welfare issues driving the current dispute include three and a half months of outstanding salaries dating back to the 2022 industrial action remaining unpaid.
Others are third-party deductions, which the union says run into millions of naira; that’s deducted as union dues but without being remitted to their respective destinations.
State-by-State Implementation Progress
While condemning federal delays, ASUU acknowledged varying degrees of compliance among state governments regarding the 2025 pact.
The union praised Abia State Governor Alex Otti for formally adopting the framework and publicly addressing administrative delays. However, default warnings were issued to resisting governors.
ASUU confirmed that local chapters in non-compliant state universities have received full authorization from the national body to execute localized strike actions if rapid progress is not achieved.
Tenure Elongation Controversy at UNIOSUN
The union also voiced strong opposition to a recent administrative decision at Osun State University (UNIOSUN) in which Governor Ademola Adeleke, on September 1, 2026, granted a two-year tenure extension to the institution’s vice-chancellor, Professor Clement Adebooye.
The Union characterized this extension as a direct breach of the UNIOSUN Law, which aligns with the Universities’ Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment Act 2012.
It argues that the legislation mandates a strict, non-renewable single term of five years. The union warned that this decision establishes a damaging precedent for institutional autonomy and urged Professor Adebooye—a former ASUU branch secretary at OAU—to decline the extension before his original term expires in January 2027.
Economic Critiques and Minimum Wage Alignment
On national governance, the union expressed concern that political focus has shifted entirely toward the 2027 general elections following the official lifting of the campaign ban on 19 August 2026.
ASUU argued that the current economic climate inflicts severe hardship on citizens, characterized by currency devaluation and diminished purchasing power despite superficial growth metrics. Blaming these economic challenges on a reliance on macroeconomic frameworks from the World Bank and the IMF, ASUU voiced full solidarity with Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero.
The academic union is calling for an immediate revision of the National Minimum Wage, demanding that worker salaries be systematically tied to the rate of inflation to protect household income.
