ASUU Reopens Labour Dispute With Government Over Unpaid Salaries, 2025 Agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has renewed pressure on the Federal Government over three-and-a-half months of unpaid salaries and what it described as poor implementation of the December 2025 agreement with the union.

ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, announced the position on Friday in Abuja after an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council, warning that the unresolved issues could lead to another nationwide strike.

According to Piwuna, lecturers were originally owed seven-and-a-half months of salaries withheld during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Tinubu administration has paid four months, leaving three-and-a-half months outstanding.

The union said the unpaid balance has remained unresolved despite previous engagements with the government. Piwuna said the delay has created financial difficulties for affected lecturers, while the purchasing power of the salaries has declined considerably since they were earned.

ASUU also raised a separate concern over deductions from lecturers’ monthly earnings. Piwuna alleged that billions of naira deducted for pensions, cooperative societies and ASUU check-off dues had not been remitted for several months.

He said the union was prepared to take industrial action if the government failed to address the outstanding payments and other welfare-related matters.

The dispute also involves state governments, which ASUU said have not uniformly implemented the provisions of the 2025 agreement. Piwuna commended Abia State Governor Alex Otti and other governors who have begun implementation, while urging states yet to comply to act promptly.

ASUU also criticised the decision by Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to extend the tenure of Osun State University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clement Adebooye, by two years. Piwuna argued that the extension was contrary to the university’s law and could undermine institutional autonomy.

The union further backed the Nigeria Labour Congress’ call for an immediate review of the national minimum wage, citing the economic pressure on workers.

Although ASUU has not announced a specific date for a fresh strike, Piwuna said the union could mobilise its members for nationwide industrial action within a short period if there was no satisfactory progress.

He said ASUU remained willing to negotiate with both federal and state authorities, but warned that the union could not guarantee uninterrupted academic activities if the outstanding issues remained unresolved.