The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has directed its branches across Nigeria to suspend all academic activities following the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries.
This decision, confirmed by ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, is in line with the union’s longstanding National Executive Council (NEC) resolution which mandates the withdrawal of services if salaries are delayed beyond three days into a new month.
Already, ASUU branches at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have commenced industrial action, with others expected to follow suit as long as salary payments remain outstanding.
Speaking to Tribune Online on Monday, Prof. Piwuna criticized what he described as the government’s indifference toward lecturers’ welfare. He noted that since the migration of university payrolls from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), lecturers have been subjected to repeated delays in receiving their “meager” earnings.
“What they are doing is enforcing a NEC resolution,” Piwuna explained. “We agreed that if there is no pay, there will be no work. Our members are going through a lot, sometimes waiting up to 10 days before receiving their salaries.”
The ASUU President emphasized that the delay is not due to any fault in the payment platform, but rather a deliberate action by certain government officials, particularly in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
He revealed that despite holding multiple meetings with relevant authorities—including the Minister of Education and the Accountant General—no progress has been made to address the issue.
“We want to work, but we cannot because they have not allowed us to work,” Piwuna said, adding that the union is fed up with the constant salary delays.
In addition to the salary concerns, ASUU is also demanding the immediate release of the remaining N10 billion in Earned Academic Allowances (EAA). Of the N50 billion owed to lecturers, only N40 billion has been released to date.
At the University of Jos, ASUU branch Chairman Dr. Jurbe Molwus confirmed that lecturers had halted all teaching and statutory meetings in compliance with the NEC directive. He said a strike monitoring team has been activated to ensure full compliance across departments.
“As long as salaries are not paid by the third day of the month, we will continue to withdraw our services,” Molwus asserted.
The ongoing strike marks another tense chapter in the government-union relationship, raising fresh concerns over academic stability in Nigeria’s public university system.
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