Tag: ASUU

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ASUU Won’t Go On Strike – FG

The Federal Government has assured it will not allow the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) go on strike and disrupt academic activities.
The assurance was given by the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa.
Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the Gender Inclusion Summit organised by the Policy Innovation Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, Alausa said the government was engaging ASUU and other trade unions with “mutual respect.”
He stated, “I don’t want to come on TV to start talking about private conversations with them, but what I can assure you is that ASUU will not go on strike; we will keep our children in school. This is a responsible government, and we will ensure that our children stay in school.”
ASUU has been in negotiations with the Federal Government over the non-implementation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which covers sustainable university funding, revitalisation of institutions, outstanding salary arrears, stagnated promotions, unremitted third-party deductions, and alleged victimisation of members in some universities.
Alausa maintained that the government was committed to addressing the issues without resorting to brinkmanship.
He said, “We are engaging; I told you we will deal with ASUU and other trade unions with the highest level of mutual respect. We will continue to talk to them.”
The minister also announced major reforms in the examination system, revealing that both the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) will gradually migrate to computer-based testing (CBT).
According to him, the shift to CBT is aimed at curbing examination malpractices and raising educational standards.
He further stated, “We believe that computer-based testing is one of the starting points to reduce examination malpractices in our country. You disincentivise the hardworking students when you allow cheating. That is why we have moved quickly to implement CBT in WAEC and NECO.”
Alausa disclosed that the November WAEC exams will commence with computer-based objective questions, while essay sections will remain paper-based. By 2026, however, all components, including essays, will be fully computer-based.
He added, “By next year, both the objectives and the essays will all be CBT. As you do this, you’ll get the kids to study more, their cognition will get better, and the quality of their preparation for exams will improve.”
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Strike threat: ASUU, VCs lament professors earning N525,000 monthly

After wrapping up its nationwide protests on Tuesday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is preparing to hold congresses to determine its next steps.

This development comes ahead of a Federal Government meeting scheduled for today to address long-standing grievances tied to the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, which fueled Tuesday’s protests across universities.

Earlier in the year, the Tinubu administration released ₦50 billion to clear earned academic allowances owed to lecturers and university staff.

Today’s meeting is expected to include the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi; and officials from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. The session aims to produce a timetable for signing and gradually implementing the renegotiated agreement alongside related reports.

According to government insiders in the Education and Labour ministries, discussions will center on harmonizing the Yayale Ahmed committee draft completed in December 2024 with the original 2009 agreement and subsequent recommendations, such as the Nimi Briggs report. Another key focus will be determining how to spread the financial obligations across the national budget while creating a legally binding framework.

Speaking on Wednesday, ASUU president, Prof. Chris Piwuna, stressed that the union expects genuine commitment from the government.

He said …

“I truly hope they will come up with something tangible. Our members are tired of words and no action.”

Piwuna, however, made it clear that ASUU was not invited to participate in today’s meeting.

He emphasized that the union had concluded its nationwide protests and was now set to convene congresses to determine its next course of action.

“We don’t have any meeting with the Federal Government tomorrow (today). It’s their meeting, we’re not involved. We have not received any invitation yet for a meeting with the Federal Government.

“However, we’ll let Nigerians know our next line of action after the protests. We operate from the bottom up. The protests are over, so we’ll go back to our members and ask them what is next, and we’ll do exactly what they want us to do as elected representatives,” he added.

Today’s meeting is taking place against the backdrop of persistent complaints by ASUU members over poor remuneration and the declining state of academia. Reports indicate that professors, who earn around ₦500,000 monthly, are forced to reside in officers’ quarters and sometimes struggle to board buses meant for students.

According to documents obtained by The PUNCH, the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure shows that Graduate Assistants receive between ₦125,000 and ₦138,020 monthly, while professors earn between ₦525,010 and ₦633,333.

Assistant Lecturers earn between ₦150,000 and ₦171,487; Lecturer II between ₦186,543 and ₦209,693; Lecturer I between ₦239,292 and ₦281,956; Senior Lecturers between ₦386,101 and ₦480,780; and Readers between ₦436,392 and ₦522,212.

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Welfare Demands: ASUU Rejects Tinubu’s Loan Offer, Calls it a Greek Gift

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the federal government’s loan proposal for its members.
ASUU described the loan as a “Greek gift.”
This position was taken by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter of the union during a special congress held on Tuesday, August 26.
The union also unanimously resolved to support all measures being considered by its national leadership to press home their demands.
Addressing members after a solidarity march from the Main Gate through the campus, Branch Chairman Prof. Idowu Kehinde said that if the government honored its obligations to lecturers, there would be no need for loans.
“The loans are to be guaranteed by our union. This is not necessary. The Governing Council of each university can give loans to our members based on our condition of service.
 
If we are paid a living wage and if all our allowances are paid as expected, who would want to go borrowing money? Let them do the needful and we are okay,” he said.
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ASUU Threatens Nationwide Strike Over FG’s Inaction on 2009 Agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Akure Zone has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike.
Speaking on Monday, August 25, ASUU stated that it is mobilising members across the country for a nationwide rally scheduled for Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
According to the union, the move is part of ongoing efforts to pressure the Federal Government to address its long-standing demands.
The Zonal Coordinator, Adeola Oyebisi Egbedokun, made this known during a press conference at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti. He described the rallies as the union’s first decisive response to the government’s continued inaction, warning that the protests signal what lies ahead if concerns remain unaddressed.
Egbedokun noted that the rallies will hold simultaneously across universities nationwide, with academic activities suspended during the demonstrations.
According to him, the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU has given the government until its scheduled meeting of August 28 to respond to the union’s demands, after which the next line of action would be determined.
“For over two years, we have kept faith with dialogue and refrained from strikes, but our patience has reached its limit. If the government continues to play games with the future of our universities, then it must bear the consequences of the storm that will follow,” he warned.
The union listed its demands to include: re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, opposition to the TISSF loan scheme—which it described as financial coercion—halting the proliferation of universities, and improved retirement benefits for professors and staff.
Egbedokun also urged members of the public, including the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), traditional rulers, and the National Assembly, to prevail on the government to avert an avoidable confrontation.
He accused the government of hypocrisy and neglect, citing the abandonment of the Yayale Ahmed report, the “debt trap” of the TISSF loan scheme, unchecked establishment of new universities, and the alleged poor treatment of retired academics.
 
“This government has chosen to mock knowledge, insult scholars, and trample on the foundation of the nation’s future. Enough is enough,” he declared.
He stressed that the burden of averting a crisis now rests solely on the government, saying:
“The ball is no longer in our court. It is squarely in theirs. Let them choose: justice or judgment, action or upheaval, peace or storm.”
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ASUU threatens strike over unpaid salaries, poor funding of universities

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a fresh warning of a possible nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of failing to honour agreements on the revitalisation and proper funding of Nigeria’s public universities.

Addressing reporters at the University of Jos on Thursday, ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, said lecturers have endured more than two years of broken promises and government inaction despite repeated appeals.

He listed unresolved issues to include the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, outstanding salary arrears, withheld promotions, and poor welfare for retired lecturers.

“As always, it is the FGN that has consistently pushed our union to embark on a strike action, and it is clear that ASUU may have no other option than to press the FGN to listen to our demands and do the needful,” Piwuna said.

The ASUU chief also rejected the government’s proposed tertiary institutions staff support fund loan scheme, describing it as a “trap.”

“Our members do not need loans. What we need is the implementation of agreements that will improve our purchasing power. Government is still owing us three months’ salaries, yet they are asking us to borrow money,” he said.

ASUU further criticised the expansion of universities without sustainable funding, warning that the trend has weakened standards and affected global rankings. On pensions, the union lamented that professors who served for over 40 years now receive as little as ₦150,000 monthly despite inflation and high living costs.

The union said it is awaiting the outcome of a government meeting scheduled for August 28 before making a final decision, but disclosed that members will hold rallies across campuses next week to express their frustrations.

“Time is running out. We cannot continue to wait endlessly while the future of Nigerian universities is destroyed,” Piwuna warned.

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ASUU-LASU Declares Indefinite Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Lagos State University, LASU, chapter, has embarked on an indefinite strike action.
ASUU embarked on strike over alleged state government’s failure to implement the federal government-approved salary increment of 25 and 35 per cent for its members since January 2023.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the union’s Chairperson, Prof Ibrahim Bakare, and Secretary, Sylvester Idowu.
The union said the strike followed the refusal of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to implement the increase, noting that the increment has been implemented in all the federal universities and 18 state universities.
According to ASUU-LASU, the declaration of the strike was in conformity with the decision of the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of all the staff unions in the university, adding that a letter has been sent to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello and governor Sanwo-Olu.
Recall that JAC comprises ASUU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.

The union is also calling on the Lagos State Government to harmonise its members’ salary scale with that of the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, LASUSTECH, and the Lagos State University of Education, LASUED, which it said, earn better than their counterparts in LASU.
It explained that the government has failed to implement the recommendation of a committee set up by the government on the harmonisation of salaries.
The unions also dismissed claims by the institution’s student leaders that only ASUU is embarking on strike, insisting that the action is total and involved other unions.
 
“We are aware that the state government and the university management are making frantic efforts to resolve the unfortunate development but until then, the strike will go on.
 
“We wish to remind them that students have no stake in the matter or possess any right to meddle into welfare issues involving staff members of the university and the government, and as such they should not allow themselves to be used in a matter that does not directly concern them,” the statement said.
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ASUU-TSU Embarks On indefinite Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Taraba State University Chapter, ASUU-TSU has embarked on an indifinite strike.
ASUU-TSU said its members embarked on strike following the failure of the university management and the Taraba State government to resolve longstanding welfare and institutional challenges.
In a statement made available to journalists in Jalingo, the state capital on Wednesday, by the ASUU-TSU chairman, Dr Garba Mbave Joshua, the union explained that the strike became inevitable after the expiration of a 30-day grace period granted to the government, which ended on July 4, 2024.
The unresolved issues that prompted the industrial actions, as reeled out by the union leaders, include, the absence of a pension scheme, unpaid salary arrears,
Lack of a Governing Council, non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances, EAA, exclusion from national minimum wage adjustments, and inadequate funding.
The union decried the lack of a functional pension scheme since the university’s inception, which it said threatens the future security of academic staff.
 
“Persistent delays in the payment of accumulated salary arrears have caused financial hardship for staff. Despite partial payments by the government, negotiations for the balance have collapsed.” Taraba ASUU said.
Disturbed that for over a year, the university has operated without a Governing Council, leaving critical decisions in limbo and affecting institutional management and the
academic staff, the union leaders said they “have been denied their entitlements dating back to the 2014/2015 academic session.
 
The union also accused the government of repeated but unfulfilled promises to address this issue.”
The union emphasized that it had made repeated efforts to engage with the government to resolve these issues. However, it said the lack of tangible action left it with no option but to take industrial action.
They called on stakeholders, including the public, to pressure the government to urgently address the issues, warning that the strike will continue until the demands are met.
 
“This action is in defence of our members’ welfare, the integrity of the institution, and the future of higher education in Taraba State,” the statement concluded.
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ASUU Threatens Strike After Expiration Of 21-Day Ultimatum To Nigerian Govt

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a warning that the Federal Government should be held accountable for any industrial unrest in Nigeria’s public universities.

ASUU issued the warning in a statement signed by the union’s Federal University, Dutse, FUD, Chairman, Comrade Dr Salim Ahmad.

The union noted that over the past four years, Nigeria’s public universities have been in a state of industrial disharmony, leading to two costly and avoidable strike actions.


“The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has made several concerted efforts to dialogue with government officials, including the President, with a view to addressing the outstanding issues in the agreement and the various memoranda signed between the Union and the Federal Government.

” Unfortunately, the Tinubu administration, like the Buhari’s, has been unyielding.

“The nonchalant attitude of the administration to our legitimate and reasonable demands compelled the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU, following wide consultations, to convene a meeting at the University of Ibadan from 17th to 18th August, 2024, where it exhaustively deliberated on the contending issues and resolved to give a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government of Nigeria to address them.

“This ultimatum was duly communicated to the government through the Minister of Education via a letter dated 20th August, 2024,” the statement said.

The statement added that after the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, the Federal Government has not demonstrated any genuine commitment to address the issues in contention.

ASUU said failure of the Federal Government to meet the monetary and non-monetary demands of the union is brewing industrial disharmony in Nigeria’s public universities.

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ASUU Holds Crucial NEC Meeting

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU will hold an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

The crucial meeting, scheduled to take place at the ASUU Secretariat, will see the gathering of the union’s principal officers, national officers, zonal coordinators, and branch chairmen from across the nation to deliberate on pressing welfare issues affecting its members.

In preparation for the meeting, notifications have been sent to all those expected to participate, ensuring robust attendance for comprehensive discussions.

This gathering follows a prior meeting held at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, where specific tasks were assigned to zonal coordinators and branch chairmen.

A source, who preferred to remain anonymous, informed SunNewspaper that the agenda for the upcoming meeting would include a review of these assignments and further discussions on unresolved issues.

However, the source did not confirm whether the Federal Government had introduced any new proposals or taken decisive actions regarding the outstanding grievances that necessitated this emergency NEC meeting.

The source stated, “I am not aware of any new government positions on our demands. We have many outstanding demands that require the attention of the Federal Government. Several letters were written and no positive response.

“One thing that I can tell you is that our members are agitated over the withheld salaries, non-payment of the academic earned allowances, and other issues affecting public universities in the country, which the government has refused to address.”

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NLC: ASUU Joins Nationwide Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has instructed its members to join the ongoing strike led by the organized labour.

The NLC and TUC commenced a nationwide industrial action on Monday in protest against the N60,000 minimum wage proposal of the Federal Government.

ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, issued a statement on Monday, instructing branch chairpersons and zonal coordinators of ASUU to mobilize lecturers nationwide to participate in the strike as an affiliate of the congress.

The statement read, “The NLC has declared an indefinite strike action beginning from Monday, 3rd June, 2024, as a result of the failure of Government to conclude the renegotiation of minimum wage for Nigerian workers and reversal of hike in electricity tariff.

“Our branches are hereby enjoined to join in the strike action as an affiliate member of Congress.

“Consequently, branch chairpersons are to mobilise all members to participate in the strike action. Yours in the struggle.”

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