The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to resume its suspended strike over unpaid salaries and the non-implementation of the 2025 agreement with the Federal Government.
The union issued the threat in a statement signed by its National President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, and released to journalists on Friday after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Sept. 5 in Abuja.
ASUU said lecturers were still owed three-and-a-half months out of the seven-and-a-half months’ salaries withheld during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
It also accused the government of failing to remit billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries for pensions, cooperative societies and union check-off dues.
The union said the outstanding salaries had lost more than 50 per cent of their value since 2022 due to naira devaluation and inflation.
It further faulted the “non- or haphazard implementation” of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement by federal and state governments.
ASUU commended Abia Gov. Alex Otti and several other states for commencing implementation, while saying Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had pledged to begin implementation in September or October.
The union also criticised the two-year extension granted to the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof. Clement Adegbooye, by Gov. Ademola Adeleke, describing it as a threat to university autonomy.
It said it would challenge the decision if efforts to reverse it failed.
ASUU also rejected government claims of economic growth, saying rising living costs and declining purchasing power had worsened the welfare of Nigerians.
It supported the call by Nigeria Labour Congress President, Joe Ajaero, for an immediate review of the national minimum wage.
The union warned that it might activate its suspended strike “without any further notice” if the outstanding issues were not urgently resolved.
