The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a four-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to immediately implement the newly approved salary structure for university lecturers or risk a nationwide strike.
The union’s President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, gave the warning on Thursday at Sa’adu Zungur University, Bauchi, stating that failure to act within the deadline would attract a strong response from the union.
Piwuna said the government must begin payment under the new salary arrangement without further delay to avert disruption of academic activities across public universities.
“We have issued a four-day ultimatum from today to the Federal Government to commence payment of the newly approved salary structure. Failure to comply will attract a strong response from the union,” he said.
The development follows months after ASUU and the Federal Government signed a renegotiated agreement in January aimed at resolving long-standing disputes and preventing recurring strikes in Nigeria’s university system.
At the centre of the agreement is a revised salary structure designed to improve lecturers’ welfare and address issues stemming from the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU agreement, which had remained largely unimplemented for years.
ASUU, however, expressed concern that despite the agreement, progress on implementation had been slow, with several federal universities reportedly struggling to meet salary obligations.
The union noted that some universities were unable to fully pay January salaries, while others were yet to pay February wages.
The salary dispute recently escalated at the University of Lagos, where lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid wages before suspending the action after discussions with the institution’s management.
ASUU attributed the delay in implementing the new salary structure to challenges associated with the slow passage of the 2026 national budget.
With the ultimatum now in effect, stakeholders in the education sector have expressed concern over the possibility of another nationwide disruption if the government fails to meet the union’s demands.
