The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned of a possible fresh industrial crisis in Nigerian universities, accusing the Federal Government of failing to properly implement the 2025 agreement signed with the union.
The warning followed ASUU’s National Executive Council meeting held at Modibbo Adama University, Yola, where the union said growing frustration among lecturers could trigger renewed nationwide unrest if unresolved issues persist.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, ASUU president, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said the goodwill generated by the December 2025 agreement was “fast waning” because of what he described as poor implementation and government inaction.
“The increasing frustration occasioned by the seeming government’s disinterestedness in the welfare of Nigerian academics is brewing a pent-up anger which could erupt into a new wave of industrial unrest if not addressed,” the union said.
ASUU accused both federal and state governments of neglecting key provisions of the agreement aimed at stabilising tertiary education and improving lecturers’ welfare.
The union particularly faulted the Federal Government for failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), which it said was created to ensure faithful execution of the agreement and prevent bureaucratic sabotage.
According to ASUU, some federal universities are selectively implementing components of lecturers’ entitlements, including the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowance (CATA), Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and Professorial Allowance (PA), while several state governments have allegedly ignored the agreement completely.
“Vice-Chancellors are picking and choosing what to pay,” the union said, insisting that all approved allowances should have been fully integrated into lecturers’ salary structures.
ASUU also listed unresolved welfare issues, including unpaid arrears from the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls linked to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), unremitted third-party deductions, and the continued withholding of three-and-a-half months’ salaries from the 2022 strike period.
The union said the continued neglect of university lecturers was dangerous for national development.
“No country can progress when the welfare issues of its academics are left unattended,” ASUU declared, accusing government officials of treating academics “like menial workers”.
The union further lamented the condition of retired lecturers, alleging that many pensioners in state universities were owed years of pension arrears, while harmonisation processes remained stalled.
Beyond welfare concerns, ASUU criticised several recent education policies introduced by the Federal Ministry of Education under Minister Tunji Alausa.
The union rejected the proposed Transnational Education (TNE) framework expected to pave the way for foreign institutions, including Coventry University, to establish campuses in Nigeria.
ASUU described the initiative as “neo-colonial” and warned that it could weaken Nigeria’s higher education system instead of strengthening local universities to compete globally.
“We are at a loss as to why the government cannot make its own universities globally competitive enough to attract foreign students and scholars,” the union stated.
The union also opposed the ministry’s decision to reverse the mother-tongue policy in favour of English-language instruction in early childhood education, arguing that the move contradicted international research and best practices.
ASUU further raised concerns over the compulsory enrolment of academics into the Nigeria Education Repository Databank (NERD), warning that the directive could undermine digital privacy rights and academic autonomy.
On the controversial proposal to scrap some courses considered “irrelevant,” especially in the humanities and social sciences, ASUU said the government was oversimplifying the country’s unemployment challenges.
“Every course in the university has its utilitarian values,” the union argued, defending disciplines such as philosophy, linguistics, religious studies and fine arts as essential for critical thinking, creativity and communication.
The union vowed to resist attempts to arbitrarily eliminate academic programmes from Nigerian universities.
ASUU also accused some university administrators of maladministration, financial misconduct and irregular appointments, criticising the introduction of positions such as “Professor of Practice” and “Diaspora Professors,” which it alleged were being used to favour associates and political allies.
The union additionally condemned the Niger State Government’s alleged attempt to reclaim the Bosso campus of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, decades after the land was allocated to the institution.
ASUU warned that such a move could create a dangerous precedent capable of undermining federal-state collaboration in higher education development.
The union painted a broader picture of worsening national conditions, citing insecurity, poverty, inflation and rising political tension ahead of the 2027 general elections as signs of deepening instability.
According to ASUU, more than 133 million Nigerians are currently trapped in multidimensional poverty, while insecurity continues to disrupt livelihoods and educational activities across the country.
The union appealed to President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders to urgently address the outstanding issues to preserve industrial peace and prevent another disruption of academic activities in public universities.
While reaffirming its willingness to continue dialogue, ASUU disclosed that its NEC had directed that an emergency meeting be convened within weeks to review developments and determine its next course of action.
