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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to reactivate its suspended nationwide strike if the Federal Government and state governments fail to urgently resolve outstanding issues affecting university lecturers.
The union warned that it could return to industrial action without further notice over the incomplete implementation of the December 2025 agreement, payment of the remaining 3.5 months of withheld salaries and the non remittance of billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ earnings.
The warning followed an emergency meeting of ASUU’s National Executive Council held at the University of Abuja and was contained in a statement issued by the union’s President, Christopher Piwuna, on Friday.
According to ASUU, the December 2025 agreement was reached after more than eight years of negotiations and struggles but has yet to be fully implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments.
The union said it would not accept responsibility if unresolved welfare and employment issues eventually trigger another nationwide shutdown of universities.
ASUU Demands Full Implementation of Agreement
ASUU commended the Abia State Government under Governor Alex Otti, alongside the governments of Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno, for beginning the implementation of the agreement.
The union also disclosed that Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa states had pledged to commence implementation in September or October.
However, ASUU warned other state governments to act quickly, arguing that continued failure to implement the agreement could plunge their universities into what it described as an “industrial crisis of monumental proportions.”
The union’s concerns extend beyond the salary agreement.
ASUU said billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries for pension contributions, cooperative deductions and union check off dues had remained unremitted for several months.
It warned that the combination of unpaid salaries, unremitted deductions and what it described as poor implementation of the 2025 agreement was increasingly threatening industrial peace across the university system.
Union Demands Outstanding 3.5 Months’ Salaries
On withheld salaries, ASUU acknowledged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had paid four of the 7.5 months withheld during the previous administration.
However, the union is demanding the immediate payment of the remaining 3.5 months, arguing that leaving the outstanding balance unresolved undermines the administration’s claim to being labour friendly.
ASUU has therefore urged both the Federal Government and state governments to take immediate and concrete steps to resolve the outstanding issues.
The union made it clear that failure to act could trigger the reactivation of its suspended industrial action.
The latest warning raises fresh concerns for students, parents and the wider university community, particularly as any renewed nationwide strike could once again disrupt academic activities across public universities.
For now, ASUU says the responsibility lies with the Federal Government and state governments to prevent another disruption by fully implementing the agreements reached with university lecturers and addressing the outstanding financial obligations.
