The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a nationwide strike, directing its members across the country to withdraw their services, effectively over the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, gave the directive in Abuja on Monday following the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
Piwuna disclosed that branches of ASUU at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have already commenced the strike action as its members have stopped working in compliance with the directive.
According to report, the ASUU President emphasised that the action is not a fresh negotiation tactic, but rather the enforcement of an existing NEC policy known as “No Pay, No Work.”
He accused the authorities of nonchalance in treatment of its members, stressing that since they were moved from IPPIS to GIFMIS, the delays have only worsened, subjecting their members to undue financial hardship.
“What they are doing is just enforcing a NEC resolution. We have agreed at NEC that our members are going through a lot since our migration out of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System.
“Certainly, our salaries are delayed for a week and sometimes 10 days before our members receive the paltry amount we get to help us carry out our duties well.
“Therefore, we agreed that if there is no pay, there will be no work.” He said.
Piwuna recounted the Union’s futile effort to reach out to key government officials, including the Minister of Education and the Accountant General of the Federation, but those engagements yielded no meaningful response.
The ASUU President stated that all universities where salaries have not been paid are expected to join the strike, in line with the resolution reached at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
He emphasized that the strike is the only way to confront what he described as a deliberate attempt by certain government officials — particularly within the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation —to frustrate university workers.
“We have spoken to the relevant authorities—the minister is aware, the Office of the Accountant General is aware. All those concerned are aware that this thing has been happening. We’ve had meetings with them to express our dissatisfaction with the way our salaries are being paid, and they have not taken any action. We want to work, but we cannot because they have not allowed us to work,” he said.
Piwuna maintained that the government has no excuse for the delayed salary payments.
According to him, there have been no complaints of underpayment or non-payment among staff once the funds reach the universities.
He reiterated that platform through which the payment is effected has not been the problem.
The delay, he alleged, was just a deliberate effort by the Office of the Accountant General.
He added that the platform is working well, but those who make it work are not willing to make it work. We think it’s a deliberate act; that is the point we are making,
The ASUU President noted that the issue of salary delays is the immediate challenge facing union members.
He also called for the release of the outstanding N10 billion Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) to avoid another round of struggle.
Piwuna explained that the Federal Government was supposed to pay lecturers N50 billion in outstanding EAA but only released N40 billion, leaving a balance of N10 billion.
“On the EAA you talked about, the total amount was N50 billion, and what they gave to us is N40 billion. N10 billion is still outstanding. We hope that this is paid quickly so that we do not have to fight over it.”
