ASUU Raises Alarm Over Salary Arrears, Deductions As Strike Looms
By MELVIN KOFFA
Another Crisis Looms Over Public Universities
NIGERIA’S public universities could face another nationwide industrial crisis as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) warns that it may resume its suspended strike.
The union issued the warning after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council on Thursday.
ASUU President Christopher Piwuna said the union could no longer ignore what it described as persistent failures to resolve critical issues affecting lecturers.
At the centre of the dispute is the December 2025 agreement between ASUU and the government.
Agreement Implementation Becomes Flashpoint
The agreement was reached after years of negotiations over the conditions of service, funding and welfare of university lecturers.
ASUU now says the government has failed to implement the agreement fully.
The union described the implementation as “haphazard” and warned that continued delays could force it to return to industrial action.
It said its suspended strike could be activated without further notice if the government fails to respond adequately to its demands.
The union maintained that preserving an uninterrupted academic calendar should not come at the expense of lecturers’ welfare.
Salary Arrears Still Unresolved
One of ASUU’s most pressing demands concerns unpaid salaries.
The union said lecturers remain uncertain about the payment of outstanding salaries and the amounts they are expected to receive.
It also wants the government to pay the remaining three-and-a-half months from the seven-and-a-half months of salaries withheld during the 2022 strike.
The Tinubu administration has paid four months of the withheld salaries, according to the union.
ASUU said the remaining balance must also be settled.
The union further criticised the absence of what it described as a sustained government effort to address the broader welfare concerns of academics.
Billions in Deductions Allegedly Unremitted
Another major point of contention is third-party deductions.
ASUU alleged that deductions made from lecturers’ salaries for pensions, cooperative societies and union dues had not been remitted appropriately for several months.
The union said the affected funds amount to billions of naira.
It also linked the dispute to its longstanding opposition to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.
ASUU has consistently argued that IPPIS does not adequately reflect the peculiarities of university employment.
The union warned that unresolved deduction issues could become another trigger for industrial action.
State Universities Enter the Dispute
The union’s concerns also cover state-owned universities.
ASUU said Abia had adopted the December 2025 agreement and commended Governor Alex Otti for acknowledging delays caused by bureaucratic processes.
It also reported implementation in Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno states.
Meanwhile, Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa were said to have pledged to begin implementation in September or October.
ASUU warned that state governments that fail to honour the agreement could face industrial action.
According to the union, affected university authorities have already been informed that strikes could begin at their institutions if satisfactory progress is not made.
What Is at Stake
The latest confrontation goes beyond salary arrears.
At stake are the stability of Nigeria’s public university system, the welfare of thousands of academics and the continuity of academic programmes for millions of students.
Another prolonged strike could disrupt lectures, examinations, graduations and academic calendars.
ASUU’s latest position therefore places the responsibility on government authorities to resolve the outstanding issues before the dispute escalates.
For now, the union has stopped short of declaring an immediate nationwide strike.
But its warning is clear: unless the government moves quickly on the December 2025 agreement, salary arrears, third-party deductions and related university concerns, another nationwide shutdown remains a possibility.
