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 implementation issues.
The warning followed an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council held at the University of Abuja on September 5, 2026.
ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, said the union would not accept responsibility for disruptions to academic activities if the unresolved issues persist.
At the centre of the dispute is what the union described as 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.
“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to FULLY and COMPREHENSIVELY address issues bordering the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” Piwuna stated.
Universities Face Rising Industrial Tensions
The union said the unresolved disputes were already generating industrial tensions across universities, with some state university branches moving towards strike action.
ASUU said it had commended states including Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno, where implementation of the 2025 agreement had commenced. It added that Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had pledged to begin implementation in September or October.
The union said universities affected by the disputes had been notified of possible strike actions if satisfactory progress was not recorded.
Recent industrial actions have already been recorded at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, and Plateau State University over unresolved demands, including implementation of the 2025 agreement and payment of arrears.
At Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa, the ASUU branch also announced a two-week warning strike beginning September 15 over unresolved issues with the Jigawa State Government, with the possibility of escalation into an indefinite strike.
Lecturers Demand Payment Of Salary Arrears
ASUU said three-and-a-half months of the seven-and-a-half months of salaries withheld during the Buhari administration remained unpaid.
The union acknowledged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had paid four months but said the outstanding balance continued to impose financial and psychological hardship on lecturers. It also said the value of the withheld income had declined by more than 50 per cent since 2022.
Piwuna urged the government to release the outstanding salaries, arguing that lecturers had continued to perform their duties despite the financial burden.
He said the union would continue pressing for the resolution of the issue until its concerns received attention from the appropriate authorities.
Billions In Deductions Remain Unremitted
Beyond salary arrears, ASUU 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 the issue of third-party deductions had recorded only limited progress in discussions with the government and warned that it could call out its members if the matter remained unresolved.
The warning comes despite recent moves by the Federal Government 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, said other core provisions of the agreement remained unresolved.
The union called on students, parents, labour leaders, the media and other Nigerians to intervene before the dispute escalates further.
ASUU clarified that its latest position 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. The union said it remained open to negotiations with the Federal and state governments.
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