ASUU begins nationwide strike over unpaid June salaries

Nigeria’s public universities have been thrown into fresh turmoil as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a nationwide strike, citing the non-payment of June 2025 salaries as the immediate cause.

The industrial action was triggered by a resolution passed by ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC), which reaffirms the union’s long-standing “No Pay, No Work” policy. According to the resolution, any delay in salary payments exceeding three days into a new month will automatically prompt a strike—a clause the union says was violated when June salaries were not paid on time.

Already, ASUU branches at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have fully complied with the directive, halting academic and administrative activities.

ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development in Abuja, describing the move as a response to the recurring financial hardship lecturers face due to persistent delays in salary payments.

He attributed the worsening situation to the federal government’s transition of university payrolls from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

Prof. Piwuna condemned what he called the “nonchalant attitude” of key government officials toward the welfare of university lecturers.

He said, despite efforts to engage the Minister of Education and the Office of the Accountant General, the union has seen “no meaningful progress.”

“Our members are experiencing hardship. Salaries are often delayed by a week or more. At NEC, we agreed that if salaries are not paid within three days of a new month, members should withdraw their services,” he stated.

He dismissed claims of technical issues with GIFMIS, insisting the delays are the result of deliberate negligence by the Office of the Accountant General.

“When funds are eventually released, there are no complaints of underpayment or technical failure. The system works; it’s the handlers who are stalling. We believe this delay is intentional,” Piwuna added.

He also raised concerns about the outstanding N10 billion in Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) owed by the federal government. He noted that although N50 billion was initially pledged, only N40 billion has been disbursed.

“We expect the remaining N10 billion to be paid without further delay to prevent another round of agitation,” he warned.

In Jos, ASUU branch chairman Dr. Jurbe Molwus confirmed that lecturers had withdrawn their services in line with the NEC resolution. He added that a strike monitoring team has been activated to ensure full compliance and stressed that continued delays in salary payments would result in sustained industrial action.

At the University of Abuja, ASUU members also downed tools on Monday. While branch chairman Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh could not be reached for comments, the university’s spokesperson, Dr. Habib Yakoob, declined to speak on the issue, referring all inquiries to ASUU leadership.

ASUU has long insisted that timely payment of salaries is critical for effective teaching and administration in universities. The current strike marks yet another chapter in the union’s ongoing struggle with the federal government over lecturers’ welfare.