…Warn of looming strike over withheld salaries, failed agreements
By Our Correspondents
Academic activities across Nigeria’s public universities ground to a halt yesterday, 26 August 2025, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged a nationwide protest, pressing the Federal Government to meet longstanding obligations and rescue what the union described as a collapsing tertiary education system.
From Lagos to Nsukka, Dutse to Ile-Ife, Abuja to Akure, lecturers left classrooms and examination halls, marching with placards that voiced their frustrations over unpaid salaries, stalled agreements, fraudulent payroll systems, and years of failed negotiations.
At the University of Lagos, Dr Kayode Adebayo, a senior ASUU member, described the demonstrations as unavoidable after years of dialogue that yielded no tangible results.
“It’s a normal protest to draw attention to how, since 2009, talks with the Federal Government have not brought any solution. We’ve been on strike since this administration came in, and they have been measuring achievement by the length of our strikes, yet they’ve done nothing to improve the lives of ASUU members. ASUU is tired. Things cannot continue like this,” he said, stressing that lecturers had shown restraint for three years but had reached their limit.
At the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr Ifeanyi Abada announced that academic work would be suspended so lecturers could join the rally following their congress.
In Ile-Ife, protests at Obafemi Awolowo University carried a sharper tone. Branch chairman, Professor Anthony Odiwe, demanded withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and third-party deductions that had been frozen during the 2022 strike.
“Our members need payment of what is rightfully theirs. We do not need loans. We have been in dialogue with this administration on these lingering issues, but the government has not been sincere with us. They are lying against ASUU,” Odiwe declared.
The lecturers’ demands, echoed across campuses, included: payment of the outstanding three-and-a-half months’ salaries withheld under former President Buhari; implementation of the February 2025 Alhaji Yayale Ahmed renegotiation draft; clearance of promotion arrears; sustained revitalisation funding; and payment of wage awards ranging from 25 to 35 per cent.
In Jigawa, members of the Federal University Dutse branch staged a peaceful march on campus. Chairman Comrade Abdulsalam Ahmed said the demonstration was a warning to government, adding: “This is a signal to the Federal Government to act on our demands. Failure to do so will force us to embark on strike.” He recalled that ASUU had been negotiating since 2009 for a 25 per cent increment that never materialised.
At the University of Abuja, lecturers protested under pouring rain, waving placards and chanting solidarity songs. Branch chairperson, Comrade Sylvanus Ugo, lamented the toll of government inaction: “We have been patient for more than two years since this administration came to power. They promised to release all low-hanging fruits, but they are still dangling. It is not when all the academics are dead that they’ll come to our aid.” He revealed that the union loses about 50 members every quarter, many from stress-related illnesses.
In Osogbo, lecturers at Osun State University focused on the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which ASUU has long opposed.
Branch chairperson, Comrade Wande Olaosebikan, described the payroll system as fraudulent: “About four years of promotion arrears remain trapped in this IMF/World Bank-backed software. At UNIOSUN, members are being short-changed, with payment of promotion arrears capped at six months regardless of review duration. This must stop.”
Placards in Osogbo read: “Remove Varsities from IPPIS & Salary-Trapped Salaries” and “Release All Revitalisation Funds for Infrastructure.”
In Akure, members of the Federal University of Technology (FUTA) protested under the leadership of their chairman, Professor Pius Mogaji, who condemned government negligence.
“Months later, these legitimate and long-standing issues remain unaddressed. This threatens our already fragile educational sector and risks another crisis,” he warned.
Rejecting the government’s loan schemes, Mogaji demanded full payment of withheld entitlements. “Pay the outstanding three months of withheld salaries. Honour the agreement you signed. Respect the dignity of those who sustain the knowledge economy. We will not be silenced or enslaved by debt.
“With 339 universities nationwide, 72 federal, 108 state, and 159 private, education is being reduced to roadside shops and political souvenirs,” he declared, criticising the unchecked proliferation of universities.
The protests follow ASUU’s National Executive Council meeting of 16–17 August at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, where it resolved to give the government until 28 August to respond. ASUU President, Professor Christopher Piwuna, confirmed the deadline: “It is the Federal Government that has consistently pushed our union into strike actions. ASUU may have no other option than to take action to compel them to meet our demands.”
With anger intensifying across campuses, lecturers have drawn a clear red line. Either government honours its commitments, or Nigeria’s public universities will once again face a total shutdown.
