The Academic Staff Union of Universities (Academic Staff Union of Universities) has cautioned that a fresh industrial action may be imminent in Nigeria’s university system, following what it described as the incomplete implementation of its December 2025 agreement with the Federal Government.
The warning was issued on Monday by the ASUU Abuja Zone during a press conference held at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
Speaking on behalf of the union, the Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Adamu Abdullahi, rejected claims by the Minister of Education that the agreement had been fully implemented.
He said several key provisions of the agreement, particularly those relating to staff welfare and funding of universities, remained unresolved, adding that the momentum generated by the deal was already weakening.
Abdullahi expressed concern over the alleged failure of the Federal Government to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), which was expected to oversee the execution of the agreement and prevent bureaucratic delays.
According to him, the absence of the committee had led to what ASUU described as “distorted implementation,” with universities allegedly interpreting and applying aspects of the agreement independently.
“It was only five months since the fanfare that accompanied the signing of the FG/ASUU agreement after years of negotiation,” he said, adding that implementation was now being driven through fragmented directives rather than a coordinated framework.
He alleged that institutions were selectively implementing allowances such as the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and Professorial Allowance instead of integrating them properly into salary structures.
The ASUU leader also said some state governments had failed to implement key aspects of the agreement in their institutions, despite being part of the negotiation process.
Beyond implementation concerns, Abdullahi listed outstanding welfare issues, including salary arrears, promotion arrears, unpaid deductions, salary shortfalls linked to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and withheld salaries from the 2022 strike period.
He criticised the continued application of the “no work, no pay” policy, describing it as unfair and inconsistent with the nature of academic work.
“No country can progress when the welfare of academics is neglected,” he said, arguing that research and community service continue even during industrial disputes.
Abdullahi also raised concerns over pension arrears affecting retired lecturers in some state universities and delays in pension harmonisation by the National Pension Commission.
On university governance, he condemned what he described as irregular administrative practices, including the alleged introduction of unofficial academic titles in some institutions.
He warned that failure by both Federal and State Governments to fully implement the agreement could destabilise the university system and disrupt academic stability nationwide.
“We strongly condemn the distorted or non-implementation of the December 2025 FG/ASUU agreement,” he said, urging urgent government intervention to prevent a breakdown of industrial harmony in the sector.
