The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a four-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, warning that failure to implement the newly approved salary structure for lecturers could trigger a nationwide strike across public universities.
This was made known on Thursday by ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, during a meeting held at Sa’adu Zungur University in Bauchi State. He said the union would not tolerate further delays in the execution of the agreement reached with the government earlier this year.
“We have issued a four-day ultimatum from today to the federal government to commence payment of the newly approved salary structure. Failure to comply will attract a strong response from the union,” Piwuna stated.
The ultimatum comes months after ASUU and the Federal Government signed a renegotiated agreement in January, aimed at addressing long-standing issues in Nigeria’s university system, particularly the welfare of lecturers. Central to the agreement is a revised salary structure expected to improve earnings and working conditions for academic staff.
The deal was also seen as a step toward resolving lingering concerns from the controversial 2009 FG-ASUU agreement, much of which remains unimplemented despite years of negotiations and repeated industrial actions.
However, despite initial optimism, ASUU says progress has been slow. The union recently raised concerns over the inability of several federal universities to pay staff salaries consistently. According to Piwuna, some institutions have struggled to fully pay January wages, while others are yet to settle salaries for February.
Tensions had already escalated at the University of Lagos, where lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries before suspending the action following discussions with the institution’s management.
ASUU attributed the delay in implementing the new salary structure to practical challenges, including the slow passage of the 2026 national budget, which it says has affected funding and disbursement.
PUNCH