• Alleges poor implementation of the 2025 FG-ASUU agreement
• Chides Adeleke for extending UNIOSUN VC’s tenure

The relative calm in Nigeria’s public universities may soon be disrupted, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to reactivate its suspended nationwide strike “without any further notice” unless the federal and state governments urgently address the outstanding issues affecting university lecturers.

In a strongly worded statement titled, ‘Why ASUU May Go on Strike Again,’ issued by its President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, on Friday, the union warned that the poor implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement, unpaid salaries and unremitted third-party deductions were driving Nigeria’s public universities towards another industrial crisis.

ASUU said its emergency National Executive Council meeting held on September 5, 2026, resolved to notify the government and other stakeholders that the union could call its members out on strike within the shortest possible time.

“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to fully and comprehensively address issues bordering the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” the union said.

The union said three-and-a-half months’ salaries out of the seven-and-a-half months withheld under the Buhari administration remained unpaid, despite acknowledging that President Bola Tinubu had released four months.

It said the unpaid salaries had caused lecturers “enormous financial and psychological discomforts,” adding that the withheld income had lost more than 50 per cent of its value to devaluation since 2022.

The Union also alleged that billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries for pension contributions, staff cooperative societies and union check-off dues had not been properly remitted for several months.

It warned that it was “fully prepared” to call out its members if nothing concrete was done to resolve the deductions issue.

ASUU also took aim at state governments over implementation of the 2025 agreement, commending Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and state slike Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for commencing implementation.

It said Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had pledged to begin implementation in September or October 2026, while warning other governors against allowing their universities to slide into “industrial crisis of monumental proportions.”

The union also condemned the reported two-year tenure extension granted to the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof. Clement Adebooye, by Governor Ademola Adeleke.

ASUU argued that the university’s law provides for a single five-year tenure for the vice-chancellors and accused the governor of setting a bad precedent by hurriedly amending the law to accommodate the extension.

The union warned that the development could reignite rancour, sycophancy and administrative witch-hunt in the university system.

ASUU further criticised the Federal Government’s handling of the broader economic situation, arguing that the reported macroeconomic growth had not translated into improved living conditions for Nigerians.

It backed the call by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, for an immediate review of the national minimum wage, saying workers’ purchasing power needed protection through the indexing of wages to inflation.

The union called on students, parents, media practitioners, labour leaders and other Nigerians to intervene in the “brewing crisis” before it escalates.

“ASUU cannot guarantee uninterrupted academic calendar at the expense of the existential needs of our members,” it declared.

The union said its doors remained open for dialogue with the Federal and state governments, but warned Nigerians against blaming ASUU if it was forced to resume its suspended strike over the government’s failure to provide a satisfactory response to its demands.

“ASUU-NEC resolved to notify all concerned that the union may activate its suspended strike action without any further notice if the critical issues raised in this release are not speedily addressed,” the statement said.