The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that Nigerian public universities could face another nationwide strike if the Federal Government and state governments fail to resolve outstanding salary, welfare and agreement-implementation issues.
The warning followed an emergency meeting of ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) held on September 5, 2026, at the union’s national secretariat at the University of Abuja. ASUU President Christopher Piwuna said the union could reactivate its suspended industrial action if authorities fail to take urgent and concrete steps to address the grievances.
The latest threat comes as individual ASUU branches across the country have already begun taking industrial action or issuing strike ultimatums. The situation has raised fresh concerns about the stability of Nigeria’s university system and the possibility of disruptions to the academic calendar.
ASUU said the dispute centres on several unresolved issues, including:
- Incomplete implementation of the December 2025 agreement.
- Payment of three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries.
- Unremitted pension, cooperative and union deductions.
- Concerns over university autonomy and staff welfare.
- Outstanding allowances and other entitlements.
ASUU said the implementation of the 2025 agreement has been inconsistent across federal and state universities.
According to the union, some states have made progress, while others have yet to implement major components of the agreement. ASUU specifically commended Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for commencing implementation.
It also said governments in Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had made commitments to begin implementation in September or October.
However, the uneven pace has left lecturers in different institutions facing different conditions.
ASUU said the unresolved matters have already created industrial tension, with some university branches moving independently to withdraw their services.
The union’s position is significant because the current dispute is no longer limited to negotiations at the national level. Several university chapters have already demonstrated their willingness to take action when local salary and agreement-related demands remain unresolved.
The payment of salary arrears remains one of the most contentious issues between ASUU and government.
The union said lecturers are still owed three-and-a-half months from the seven-and-a-half months of salaries withheld during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
ASUU acknowledged that the Tinubu administration released four months of the withheld salaries following the 2023 presidential waiver, but argued that the remaining balance continues to impose financial pressure on affected academics.
The union also argued that the real value of the outstanding money has declined substantially because of inflation since the salaries were withheld.
Beyond the salary arrears, ASUU raised concerns over deductions made from lecturers’ earnings but allegedly not remitted to the appropriate third parties.
These include:
- Pension contributions.
- Cooperative society deductions.
- Union check-off dues.
- Other third-party financial obligations.
ASUU said the outstanding deductions run into billions of naira and that progress in resolving the issue has been inadequate.
The national warning comes against a backdrop of growing industrial action at individual universities.
ASUU’s University of Medical Sciences, Ondo chapter, declared an indefinite strike in August after alleging that the 2025 agreement had not been fully implemented and that salary arrears from January 2026 remained outstanding.
The Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa branch, also announced a two-week warning strike beginning September 15 over unresolved demands involving the Jigawa State Government. The chapter warned that the action could escalate into a total and indefinite strike if its concerns remained unresolved.
At Nnamdi Azikiwe University, the ASUU branch began an indefinite strike in September over the non-payment of the full August salary to its members. The branch said its action followed ASUU’s standing position that lecturers should not continue working where salaries remain unpaid beyond the prescribed period.
These developments provide the immediate backdrop to ASUU’s national warning.
The Federal Government has also taken steps to address some elements of the dispute.
On September 9, the government announced the release of funds for payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for January to August 2026.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the payment formed part of the government’s implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement.
ASUU, however, maintained that resolving one component of the agreement does not settle the wider dispute.
The union wants government to address the remaining provisions comprehensively rather than treating individual demands separately.
This distinction could prove important in determining whether the current warning develops into a nationwide strike.
Despite the strong warning, ASUU has not formally declared a nationwide strike at this stage.
The union clarified that its latest statement represents a warning that the previously suspended industrial action could be reactivated if the government fails to make satisfactory progress.
ASUU said it remains willing to negotiate with both federal and state authorities but insisted that lecturers’ welfare cannot be separated from the stability of the university system.
For students and parents, the immediate issue is therefore whether negotiations can prevent the dispute from spreading from individual university branches to the national level.
The distinction between a strike threat and an actual strike declaration is important: there is currently no blanket nationwide shutdown order from ASUU based solely on the September 11 warning.
The next stage will likely depend on the response from the Federal Government and affected state governments.
ASUU has called for urgent intervention from students, parents, labour leaders, the media and other stakeholders before the dispute escalates.
The union’s warning also places pressure on governments to demonstrate measurable progress on outstanding financial obligations and the implementation of agreed reforms.
For Nigeria’s public universities, the stakes extend beyond salary payments. Prolonged industrial disputes can interrupt lectures, examinations, research supervision and academic calendars, potentially extending students’ time in school.
The immediate priority for both sides is therefore to prevent the current series of branch-level disputes from developing into another nationwide shutdown.
Unless the outstanding issues receive a credible and comprehensive response, ASUU’s warning could evolve into a fresh national confrontation over the future of Nigeria’s university system.
