The Academic Staff Union of Universities has warned the Federal Government to prepare for possible industrial action over what it described as the failure to fully implement agreements reached with the union in 2025.
ASUU said the excitement that followed the unveiling of the agreement on January 14, 2026, is gradually fading due to the government’s inability to fulfil critical commitments, particularly the failure to establish the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC).
Speaking on Wednesday, the Kano Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Professor Abdulkadir Muhammad, accused the government of handling the agreement in a fragmented and poorly coordinated manner.
According to him, the IMC was expected to shield the agreement from bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensure seamless implementation across federal and state universities.
“Our concern arises from the government’s inability to constitute the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), which was expected to protect the agreement from bureaucratic delays and inertia and ensure its effective implementation,” he said.
Muhammad noted that only a few state governments have complied with the agreement, while several federal universities have selectively implemented components of the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances (CATA), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and Professorial Allowances (PA).
He explained that the allowances were meant to be fully integrated into the Consolidated University Academic Salary Scale (CONUASS) as part of the monthly remuneration package for lecturers.
The ASUU leader also criticised some state governors and vice-chancellors of public universities for allegedly refusing to implement the salary components of the agreement despite participating in the renegotiation process.
“While appreciating the efforts of some state universities that have taken the lead in implementation, Kano Zone strongly condemns the partial or outright refusal to implement the salary component of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement by a number of vice-chancellors of public universities,” he stated.
The union called on both federal and state governments to honour the agreement in order to sustain industrial peace and stability in Nigerian universities.
ASUU further expressed concern over what it described as a flawed implementation of another major provision of the December 2025 agreement — the proposed National Research Council (NRC).
The union revealed that it was surprised by the announcement made on April 7, 2026, by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, that the Federal Executive Council had concluded plans to establish a National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF).
Muhammad said ASUU was not involved in the proposal and questioned the minister’s reference to a funding figure of $500 million without acknowledging provisions already contained in the FGN-ASUU agreement on research, innovation, and development.
“The union does not oppose contributions from critical stakeholders toward developing the legal and policy framework of the fund, but urges the Federal Government to adhere strictly to the carefully designed objectives outlined in the new FGN-ASUU agreement,” he said.
He warned that ASUU would resist any attempt by external interests or local collaborators to undermine the nation’s research and development agenda.
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