The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has given the go ahead for lecturers in 20 universities in the country to go on strike over alleged failure by the federal and state governments to fully implement the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
The union’s President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this in a statement issued late Monday, adding that an emergency NEC meeting would be convened at the end of August or early September to review developments and take further decisions.
The union’s latest move has raised fears of another disruption in the nation’s tertiary education sector, barely months after the agreement was hailed as a major breakthrough in the long-running crisis between university lecturers and government.
ASUU, at its National Executive Council,NEC meeting held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, 2026, resolved that the affected university branches should issue a 14-day ultimatum to their respective governments and authorities, after which they would proceed on strike if their demands remained unmet.
The affected universities are Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo; Gombe State University; Plateau State University, Bokkos; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba; Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; Abia State University, Uturu; and University of Education and Entrepreneurship, Akamkpa.
Others are Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo; Kaduna State University; Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil; Northwest University, Kano; Enugu State University of Science and Technology; Imo State University; Niger Delta University; University of Africa, Toru-Orua; Bayelsa Medical University; and Taraba State University, Jalingo.
ASUU said the affected branches would commence the proposed strike immediately after the expiration of the ultimatum if the outstanding issues were not resolved.
It added that branches in the Sokoto Zone had already issued a two-week ultimatum.
The union attributed the latest confrontation to what it described as the “haphazard implementation” of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement and the “lackadaisical attitude” of the Federal Government towards releasing the subvention required for its full implementation.
“NEC discussed the state of the struggle and noted that a significant milestone had been reached signing the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, but frowned at the haphazard implementation and lackadaisical attitude of the Federal Government in the release of subvention to fully actualise the implementation of the said 2025 Agreement,” ASUU said.
The union also accused visitors to several state-owned universities of failing to implement provisions of the agreement, warning that the situation was eroding the gains achieved through the pact.
The development threatens to reopen one of the most persistent industrial disputes in Nigeria’s education sector, with the agreement signed in December 2025 having been expected to end years of confrontation over lecturers’ welfare, remuneration and the chronic underfunding of public universities.
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The agreement followed more than 16 years of negotiations and contained several measures designed to improve academic staff welfare and strengthen the university system.
Among its key provisions was a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration, effective January 1, 2026. The Federal Government announced in February that implementation of the salary increase had commenced.
The pact also introduced the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), covering expenses associated with journal publications, membership of learned societies, conferences, intern…
