By Omowunmi Sanni

The Lagos Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns over delayed implementation of the salary component of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement across Nigerian universities.

 Addressing journalists yesterday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the union accused the Federal Government and some state governments of failing to fully implement agreements reached with university lecturers.

  Speaking at the briefing, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Lagos Zone, Adesola Nassir, said the union accepted the 2025 agreement as a step towards addressing the challenges facing Nigerian universities after years of negotiations.

  According to him, the agreement was expected to improve lecturers welfare and support the revitalisation of the university system, but recent developments have raised doubts about the government’s commitment to fulfilling its promises.

  ASUU explained that allowances captured under the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances (CATA), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and Professorial Allowances (PA) were expected to be integrated into lecturers’ monthly salaries from January 2026.

  However, the union alleged that the implementation has been inconsistent in federal universities due to inadequate funding provided to university administrations.

  The union noted that while the federal government encouraged universities to begin implementation pending the signing of the 2026 budget, many institutions lacked the financial capacity to sustain the payments, resulting in what ASUU described as “haphazard implementation.”

 ASUU also expressed dissatisfaction with the attitude of some state governments toward the agreement, warning that the failure to implement it in state-owned universities could disrupt industrial peace.

 The union, however, commended the Governing Council of Olabisi Onabanjo University for approving full implementation of the agreement from January 2026 beginning from May 2026.

  t also praised Tai Solarin University of Education and other state-owned institutions that have begun implementation processes.

  ASUU called on the Lagos State Government to urgently begin implementation in its universities, including Lagos State University, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, and Lagos State University of Education.

  The union appealed to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to intervene and prevent possible disputes in the institutions.

  ASUU criticised the Federal Government for failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), and further added it is necessary to ensure proper execution of the agreement.

  The union also listed unresolved welfare issues affecting lecturers, including unpaid arrears of the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, unremitted pension deductions, salary shortfalls linked to the IPPIS platform, and the withheld three-and-a-half months salaries from the 2022 ASUU strike.

According to the union, the continued delay in addressing these issues could worsen the migration of qualified academics from Nigerian universities.

  ASUU also urged authorities at University of Lagos to address concern surrounding promotion guidelines to avoid disruptions to academic activities.

  The union concluded by warning that the fragile peace currently existing in universities could be threatened if governments continue to neglect lecturers’ welfare and fail to honour agreements reached with the union.