ASUU begins nationwide strike over unpaid June salaries, enforcing ‘No Pay, No Work’ resolution.
Union accuses FG of deliberate delays, warns of deeper unrest if allowances remain unpaid.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has enforced a nationwide withdrawal of services over what it described as deliberate delays in the payment of June 2025 salaries by the Federal Government. The industrial action follows the union’s “No Pay, No Work” resolution and has already affected operations at several public universities, including the University of Jos and the University of Abuja.
The directive, which took effect this week, follows multiple unsuccessful attempts to engage with government officials. ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, stated that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) had long resolved that members would down tools if salaries were withheld beyond three working days.
“What they are doing is just enforcing a NEC resolution,” Piwuna said during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. “Our members are suffering under this recurring delay. It’s not a technical issue; it’s a deliberate act by the Office of the Accountant General.”
ASUU has long been at loggerheads with the government over welfare and funding-related concerns. The latest crisis stems from persistent delays in monthly salary payments following the union’s migration from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS). Despite assurances from the government, salary processing issues have continued unabated.
Piwuna said the delay in June salaries, now entering a second week, has left many academic staff stranded. “Our salaries are now delayed by a week or more. What we earn is already meager, and such delays make it even harder to perform our duties. So, we are enforcing the ‘No Pay, No Work’ rule until the issue is resolved.”
Branches of the union across various institutions have begun complying. At the University of Jos, ASUU Chairman Jurbe Molwus confirmed that lecturers have halted all academic activities, including lectures and departmental meetings. “Our members have abstained from all duties, and our monitoring team is in place to ensure full compliance,” Molwus said.
In Abuja, the University of Abuja also joined the action. While the branch chairman, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, could not be reached, the university’s spokesperson, Dr. Habib Yakoob, declined comment and referred inquiries to ASUU leadership.
Piwuna further accused the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation of intentionally obstructing the timely disbursement of funds despite having a functional payment system in place.
“The platform is working fine; the issue is with the will to execute payments. We believe this is an intentional delay, and we’re not going to continue tolerating it,” he said.
Beyond the current salary crisis, ASUU is also demanding the immediate release of the remaining ₦10 billion from the total ₦50 billion earmarked for the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) owed to university lecturers. The union has warned that if these funds are not paid promptly, the academic system could face even deeper unrest.
Education sector watchers say the recurring salary issues could worsen Nigeria’s ongoing brain drain in the university system as lecturers seek better working conditions abroad. Others fear that repeated service withdrawals will continue to affect academic calendars and students’ ability to graduate on time.
The federal government has yet to issue an official response as the industrial action spreads across more campuses.
