ASUU staged protests across Nigerian universities demanding payment of withheld salaries and revitalization funds.
Union leaders warned of a possible strike, accusing government of neglecting welfare and breaking promises.
University campuses across Nigeria were thrown into disarray on Tuesday as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged coordinated protests to demand urgent government action on long-standing issues affecting the education sector.
The demonstrations, held in cities including Abuja, Lagos, Akure, Jos, Uyo, Minna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, and Umudike, saw lecturers carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs. Protesters called for the payment of withheld salaries, the release of earned allowances, revitalization funds, and the full implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
In Uyo, the protests disrupted ongoing semester examinations at the University of Uyo, while academics at the Federal University of Lafia lamented deteriorating welfare, claiming that over 240 lecturers die annually due to poor conditions and economic hardship.
Union leaders, including Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh (Yakubu Gowon University), Prof. Adeola Egbedokun (ASUU Akure Zone), and Prof. Opeyemi Olajide (UI/UNIUYO), accused the Federal Government of failing to prioritize education. They noted that lecturers have been on the same salary scale for more than 16 years, despite persistent inflation and rising living costs.
ASUU also rejected the government’s new Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund loan scheme, dismissing it as a “poisoned chalice” that fails to tackle the core problems of funding, salaries, and welfare. Branch leaders at FUT Minna, Niger Delta University (NDU), and Plateau State University (PLASU) stressed that loans cannot replace renegotiated agreements and revitalization funding.
In Sokoto, Zamfara, Maiduguri, and Ilorin, union branches expressed their willingness to begin an indefinite strike if the government does not take action before the upcoming meeting with the ASUU National Executive Committee on August 28.
Protest leaders reminded President Bola Tinubu of his 2022 campaign pledge that no university strike would occur under his administration, warning that broken promises and stalled negotiations could plunge the system into yet another prolonged shutdown.
