ASUU threatens nationwide university strike over unimplemented agreement, withheld salaries

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to shut down academic activities in public universities nationwide if the Federal Government and state governments fail to urgently address the union’s outstanding demands.

ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, warning that the union could revive its nationwide strike “without any further notice.”

The warning followed an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) held at the University of Abuja.

READ ALSO; ASUU strike-free era bringing relief to families, says Tinubu

The union accused the Federal Government and several state governments of failing to fully implement the agreement reached in December 2025 after more than eight years of negotiations and industrial disputes.

According to ASUU, outstanding issues include the payment of the remaining three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries owed to lecturers and the remittance of billions of naira deducted from academic staff salaries.

The union said the December 2025 agreement was reached after prolonged negotiations aimed at addressing the welfare and working conditions of university lecturers.

However, it expressed concern that key provisions of the agreement remained unimplemented several months after it was signed.

ASUU warned that continued failure by the authorities to resolve the outstanding issues could force the union to take industrial action.

“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to fully and comprehensively address issues bordering on 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,” the union said.

The development raises fresh concerns over the stability of Nigeria’s public university system, with students and parents facing the prospect of another disruption to the academic calendar if the threatened strike is eventually declared.

ASUU urged the government to take immediate steps to implement the outstanding aspects of the December 2025 agreement and resolve the financial issues affecting its members.