Trending 
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that Nigeria’s public universities may soon be hit by another round of strikes unless federal and state governments fully honour a December 2025 agreement, the union said on Monday.
Following a National Executive Council meeting held at Modibbo Adama University in Yola on May 9 and 10, ASUU said the implementation of the agreement has been “distorted and uncoordinated.”
ASUU President Chris Piwuna issued a statement explaining that the union had kept “a studied silence” since the agreement was signed and publicly presented in January 2026.
“This interactive session was called to present the outcome of our review of the implementation of the signed agreement and other outstanding issues following the NEC meeting held at Modibbo Adama University, 9th–10th May, 2026,” the statement said.
“The momentum generated with the unveiling of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement on 14th January, 2026 is fast waning and may soon be lost if government’s promise to fully implement the agreement is not kept,” it added.
According to the union, the Implementation Monitoring Committee meant to oversee the agreement was never set up.
ASUU said this failure has allowed federal and state authorities to implement the deal in a “distorted and uncoordinated manner,” with only a few state governments complying.
The union also accused federal university administrators of picking and choosing which allowances to pay, including Consolidated Academic Allowances, Earned Academic Allowances, and Professorial Allowances. These, ASUU argued, should have been rolled into the Consolidated Academic Salary Structure.
ASUU also took issue with the government’s proposed National Research Council and the minister of education’s announcement of a National Research and Innovation Development Fund. The union said these plans do not match what was agreed in the 2025 deal, which recommended “at least 1 per cent of GDP” for research funding.
The union raised concerns about the proposed $500 million fund, questioning where the money would come from and warning about possible external borrowing.
The union listed several welfare matters still pending, including salary arrears, promotion arrears, unremitted deductions, IPPIS-related salary shortfalls, and salaries withheld during the 2022 strike.
ASUU also pointed to delays in pension payments for retired lecturers, especially in state universities, and accused the National Pension Commission of stalling benefit harmonisation.
The union called on President Bola Tinubu, in his role as Visitor to federal universities, to step in and resolve the outstanding issues.
The union opposed the reversal of the mother-tongue policy for early childhood education, calling it backwards. It also rejected plans to establish a Coventry University campus in Nigeria, arguing it could weaken local institutions.
ASUU criticised the compulsory enrollment of academics into the Nigeria Education Repository Databank, describing it as a violation of academic freedom and data protection laws.
The union also pushed back against proposals to scrap certain university courses labelled “irrelevant,” insisting that humanities and social sciences remain crucial for critical thinking and innovation.
ASUU warned that continued neglect of lecturers’ welfare could spark fresh industrial action, noting that frustration among members is growing.
The union urged Nigerians to pressure all levels of government to fully implement the agreement and resolve lingering issues. It added that its National Executive Council would reconvene in the coming weeks to assess progress and decide on further action if necessary.
