ASUU Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Unmet University Demands
ASUU president Christopher Piwuna announced after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Thursday that the union may activate its suspended strike without further notice if the federal government does not urgently address outstanding issues. The union's grievances center on the non-implementation or haphazard implementation of the December 2025 agreement, withheld lecturers' salaries, and unremitted third-party deductions such as pension contributions and union dues, which ASUU says run into billions of naira. Piwuna noted that apart from recent payments to lecturers in federal universities of agriculture, there has been no sustained effort to resolve these concerns.
The union warned that state governments that have not yet begun implementing the agreement could plunge their universities into an industrial crisis. ASUU said implementation has already started in Abia, Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno states, while Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa have pledged to begin in September or October. Lecturers continue to face uncertainty over monthly salary payments, with some unsure of when or what portion will be paid.
ASUU emphasized that it cannot guarantee an uninterrupted academic calendar at the expense of members' existential needs, and urged the government to take immediate, concrete steps to avert a nationwide strike that would disrupt lectures, exams and research across public universities.
As a student, parent or university staff, how will you prepare for possible class disruptions, or will you rely on authorities to meet ASUU's demands before a strike is called?