Tag: ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that it will resume its nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to reach an agreement with the union at the expiration of its one-month ultimatum.

The union’s Kano Zonal Coordinator, Abdulkadir Muhammad, gave the warning yesterday in Kano while addressing reporters after the zone`s meeting.

The lecturers in October suspended their warning strike with a month-long ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands, which centre around their welfare and providing a conducive teaching and learning environment.

Muhammad decried what he called the government’s sluggish approach to renegotiating key agreements aimed at revitalising Nigeria’s public university system.

The meeting had representatives from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Bayero University Kano (BUK); Kaduna State University (KASU).

Others were Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, Federal University Dutse (FUD), Northwest University (NWU), Kano; and Sule Lamido University (SLUK), Kafin Hausa. Muhammad said this followed the report presented at ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on November 8 and 9 at Taraba State University.

The union leader said the union’s NEC expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the ongoing renegotiation between the union and the government, describing it as a major obstacle to concluding the process meaningfully.

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He said the suspension of the strike in October was meant to create and enabling environment and a gesture of goodwill toward Nigerians.

“However, our hope for a holistic and timely resolution of the issues is increasingly being dashed.

“It is unfortunate that some government functionaries employ different tactics to undermine the renegotiation process and misinform the public on the state of our engagements,” Muhammad told reporters.

The zonal coordinator said the government had yet to show genuine commitment to improving lecturers’ welfare or addressing the conditions that fuel brain drain in the university system.

“What government has offered will neither improve the working conditions of academics nor attract scholars from other countries to our universities,” he said.

According to him, it is unfortunate that some government officials claim that ASUU demands have been met.

Muhammad urged the Federal Government to place a moratorium on the establishment of state universities as it did for federal universities.

“Governors have cultivated the habit of establishing universities in their states without commitment to funding them,” he said.

Also, the Benin Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to join the resumption of its suspended strike if its National Executive Council (NEC) directs so.

The union accused the Federal Government of blatant unwillingness to resolve all outstanding issues to restore desired industrial harmony in Nigeria’s public universities.

The ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Monday Lewis Igbafen, who addressed reporters yesterday in Benin City, the Edo0 State capital, said the union’s areas of intervention remained a sore point that needed a radical approach to stem impending crisis in the system.

Igbafen said it was wicked and inhuman to leave university lecturers on the same salary regime for more than 15 years.

The ASUU zonal coordinator stated that actions and pronouncements of government functionaries were antithetical to a genuine and speedy resolution of the issues.

He said: “The result of this dishonesty is that the Federal Government had been dishing half-truths to the public on the negotiation and this strategy portends an inevitable crisis. The government still has some time at its disposal to resolve all unresolved issues.

“In fact, the remaining days to the expiration of the one-month window given to the government must be utilised to avert the looming paralysis.

“The sing song by the government about the paucity of funds or the global economic downturn as an excuse to deny the education sector adequate funding is no longer tenable, considering the prevailing economic reality.

“The government needs to be reminded that there has been a quantum leap in the revenue profile of both the Federal and state governments.”

The Benin Zone of ASUU comprises the University of Benin, Benin City; Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; Delta State University, Abraka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun; University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, and Southern Delta University, Ozoro.

Also, the union has urged the Federal Government to meet its demands on several issues affecting the education sector or face another round of industrial action.

Its Calabar Zonal Coordinator, Ikechukwu Igwenyi, gave the warning while addressing reporters yesterday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

It said: “We demand the completion of renegotiation and full implementation of agreements with timelines, as well as fair remuneration and improved work conditions for academic staff to curb the exodus of talent.”

ASUU’s other demands include immediate release of 3½ months outstanding salaries and all withheld salaries, refund of all third Party deductions, and payment of all arrears of promotion.

The union also demanded the payment of outstanding 25-35 per cent wage award with consequential adjustment, adequate budgetary allocation to education, and sustainable funding of Nigerian Universities.

It urged the Federal Government to respect university autonomy and end the imposition of policies that undermine academic freedom.

Igwenyi, accompanied by nine other officials of the union, read the demands during the media briefing in Calabar.

They threatened to embark on a strike should the Federal Government fail to address the demands.

“We gave the government a four-week ultimatum to address these issues…

“We shall remain unbowed, unbroken, and unwavering in this just struggle, with profound faith, secured in the knowledge that victory is sure,” ASUU stated.

The union emphasized that education is not a privilege, but a right, and that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the education sector is adequately funded.

ASUU said paucity of funds was not the fundamental issue preventing the government from doing the right thing but a lack of political will to invest in the development of Nigeria.

“We shall rebuild the Nigerian university system of our dream with the ashes of the struggle,” it added.

• Warns that full-blown strike may be inevitable

The Ibadan Zone of Academic Staff Union of Universities yesterday warned of a full-blown strike due to what it described as the discouraging manners in which the Federal Government has been handling the industrial dispute declared by the Union.

The Ibadan Zone of the Union, through its Coordinator, Prof. Biodun Olaniran, while addressing the press at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, stated that government functionaries were feeding the public with false stories while frustrating efforts to speedily conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.

ASUU stated that the real demand “of our Union is the re-negotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement being currently handled by the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed-led Committee that will produce a new salary structure to replace the Consolidated University Salary Scale (CONUASS) given the galloping inflation in the country since then”.

ASUU declared a two-week warning strike on October 13, 2025. The strike was suspended five days to its expiration due to perceived genuine interventions from students, their parents, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the media and other critical stakeholders.

The union then gave a month window in line with the ultimatum given by the NLC for governments to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement as well as to resolve all the associated issues.

The Academic Staff Union (ASUU), Ibadan Zone comprises University of Ibadan, Ibadan, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Osun State University, Osogbo, Kwara State University, Malete and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo.

The zonal press conference was addressed by the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Biodun Olaniran, who was flanked by other chairmen from the zone, including Adefemi Afolabi (ASUU-UI), Alex Akanmu (ASUU-UNILORIN), Ben Olujimi Dada (ASUU-LAUTECH), Olaosebikan Wende (ASUU-UNIOSUN), Shehu Abdulganiyu Salau (ASUU-KWASU) and Michael Bamidele Ojo (ASUU-EAUED).

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According to Prof. Olaniran, ASUU “had expected that a government focused on national development, technological innovation and advancement would spare no effort to work within the deadline by giving a marching order to its agents. Unfortunately, the Federal Government had been dealing with Union bereft of the seriousness the issues deserve.

“Regrettably, just about eight days to the expiration of the one-month window, nothing significant has been done other than the usual misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.”

ASUU, while acknowledging “the release of part of the four-year promotion arrears, third-party deductions such as union dues, cooperative and pension deductions being flaunted by government, however, maintained that these should not be misconstrued by Nigerians as having resolved the demands of ASUU”.

The Union boss disclosed that “the just concluded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ASUU held at Taraba State University, Jalingo on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th November 2025 clinically X-rayed the state of our engagements with the Federal Government and Visitors to state universities.

“The current state of insecurity and excruciating economic situation in the country and its negative impacts on the welfare of the members of our ASUU calls for great concern by all stakeholders in the educational sector.

“The role being played by government functionaries in the process of renegotiating the Agreement with the Union is negatively worrisome, to say the least.

“Unless the Federal Government holds the bull by the horn, by offering a competitive salary structure within the remaining timeline, our students in the public universities across the nation may have their academic calendars disrupted once again.

“ASUU, Ibadan Zone, therefore identifies the urgent need to prevail on governments to avert this looming crisis.

“The counter offers made by Government through the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed-led Committee have been rejected firmly by our Union because it is inappropriate and unacceptable to make such ridiculous offers to academics who have been taking the same salaries for 16 years.

“This falls below what many West African countries pay their academics, while Nigerian politicians are the highest paid political office holders in Africa, if not globally. What is lacking is the political will and not the resources to fund qualitative education in Nigeria.”

Prof. Olaniran stated that “the three and a half months’ salaries of our members in federal universities, held on account of the federal government that provoked the strike of our union in 2022, are still being withheld by government.

“Many State Universities are yet to pay the withheld salaries; promotion arrears, and Earned Academic Allowances (EAA). For the avoidance of doubt, the Osun State University is yet to release the withheld salaries of the members of the Union from 2018 and 2020 and the arrears of the reduced 2015-2019 EAA.

“The story is the same at LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, where EAA and promotion arrears are still outstanding, KWASU has not benefitted from EAA and, like some other state varsities in the country.

“Our Union strongly frowns at this indifferent, anti-progress, anti-labour, and inhumane act. We, therefore, demand the unconditional payment of all withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and outstanding EAA to the academic members of staff of universities who are members of ASUU.”