ASUU Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Unimplemented 2025 Agreement
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that it may resume its suspended nationwide strike if the Federal Government and state governments fail to urgently address outstanding issues arising from the December 2025 agreement reached with the union.
The union also demanded the immediate payment of the remaining 3.5 months of salaries withheld from university lecturers, as well as the remittance of billions of naira deducted from their earnings as pension contributions, cooperative deductions and union dues.
ASUU issued the warning in a communiqué released after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) held at the University of Abuja.
The union’s President, Professor Christopher Piwuna, said members could be directed to withdraw their services without further notice if the unresolved issues were not addressed within the shortest possible time.
ASUU said the December 2025 agreement was reached after more than eight years of negotiations and industrial struggles, but expressed concern that its implementation by the Federal Government and several state governments remained incomplete.
The union warned that continued failure to fully implement the agreement could further worsen industrial relations in the nation’s public universities.
“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 stated.
ASUU, however, acknowledged the efforts of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the governments of Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for commencing implementation of the agreement.
It also disclosed that the governments of Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had indicated plans to begin implementation in September or October.
The union appealed to other state governments to take similar steps, warning that failure to do so could plunge their universities into what it described as a serious industrial crisis.
On the issue of withheld salaries, ASUU said four months out of the 7.5 months withheld under the previous administration had been paid, but insisted that the outstanding 3.5 months must also be released.
The union acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the payment already made but maintained that the unpaid balance remained a major concern for affected academics.
“We have consistently acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for paying four out of the withheld salaries. However, leaving out the unpaid balance does not give his government the full credit of a labour-friendly administration,” ASUU said.
The union further raised concerns over deductions made from lecturers’ salaries, alleging that pension contributions, cooperative deductions and check-off dues amounting to billions of naira had remained unremitted for several months.
According to ASUU, the continued withholding or non-remittance of such funds had added to the financial pressure on university lecturers and could further undermine industrial harmony within the university system.
The union described the incomplete implementation of the 2025 agreement, withheld salaries and unremitted deductions as issues capable of triggering another round of industrial action.
“In no mistaken terms, ASUU posits that the non- or haphazard implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement by federal and state governments is a recipe for industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities,” the union stated.
ASUU consequently called on the Federal Government and state governments to urgently address all outstanding matters and take concrete steps to prevent another disruption of academic activities in public universities.
The union stressed that it would not accept responsibility for the consequences should the unresolved issues eventually lead to the reactivation of its suspended strike.
ASUU-NEC said it had formally notified all concerned that it could activate the suspended industrial action without further notice if the outstanding matters were not speedily resolved.
The development comes amid renewed concerns over the stability of Nigeria’s public university system and the need for government to sustain industrial peace through the implementation of agreements reached with academic staff.