The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday staged coordinated protests across campuses nationwide, warning of an imminent strike if the Federal Government fails to meet long-standing demands.
The demonstrations come just two days before a high-stakes meeting scheduled for Thursday in Abuja between ASUU leaders and government officials.
From Obafemi Awolowo University (Ile-Ife), University of Ilorin, University of Calabar, Abia State University, Usmanu Danfodiyo University (Sokoto), Federal University of Lafia, FUTA (Akure), Plateau State University, University of Maiduguri, and Osun State University, lecturers marched with placards, chanting solidarity songs and demanding urgent government action.
Their demands include:
Implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement
Payment of three and a half months’ withheld salaries
Release of 25–35% outstanding salary arrears and promotion arrears
Revitalisation of universities
Rejection of the government’s proposed staff loan scheme
Adoption of UTAS over IPPIS to safeguard university autonomy
At OAU, branch chairperson Prof. Tony Odiwe accused the government of deliberately stalling the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation report submitted in February 2025. In Akure, ASUU Zonal Coordinator Prof. Adeola Egbedokun declared that patience among lecturers was “at breaking point,” warning that government inaction could plunge universities into fresh crisis.
In Lafia, ASUU Chairperson Sunday Orinya lamented deaths among lecturers due to hardship, while at Plateau State University, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Shedrack Best and ASUU President Prof. Chris Piwuna joined the protest, decrying poor salaries and erosion of autonomy.
At Sokoto, UNILORIN, UNICAL, UNIMAID, ABSU, and UNIOSUN, the protests echoed the same frustrations: unpaid arrears, neglected agreements, poor welfare, and rejection of the government’s loan scheme.
Across the campuses, ASUU leaders delivered a unified warning — if Thursday’s meeting ends without decisive action, another nationwide strike may be unavoidable.
