The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a nationwide strike over the federal government’s failure to pay lecturers’ salaries for June, invoking its long-standing “No Pay, No Work” policy.
The industrial action, which commenced this week, was confirmed by ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, who described the delay in salary payment as both deliberate and unacceptable.
“Our National Executive Council (NEC) resolved that if salaries are not paid within three days of a new month, members should withdraw their services. This is simply the enforcement of that decision,” Prof. Piwuna said during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.
Branches of the union at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have already complied with the directive, suspending academic and administrative activities.
Prof. Piwuna attributed the recurring salary delays to inefficiencies in the Office of the Accountant General. He dismissed claims that the transition from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) was responsible for the delays.
“The payment platform is not the problem. The delays originate from the Office of the Accountant General, and we believe they are intentional,” he stated.
The ASUU president also criticized the federal government for failing to meet other financial obligations, particularly the outstanding N10 billion balance from the agreed N50 billion Earned Academic Allowance (EAA). According to him, only N40 billion has so far been disbursed.
In Plateau State, the Chairman of the University of Jos ASUU branch, Dr. Jurbe Molwus, confirmed that members had fully complied with the strike directive.
“Our members are fully complying with the directive. We have also set up a monitoring team to ensure strict adherence,” he said.
At the University of Abuja, although the branch chairman, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, declined to comment, multiple sources confirmed that lecturers had withdrawn their services. The university’s spokesperson, Dr. Habib Yakoob, directed all inquiries to the union.
ASUU has vowed to sustain the strike until all withheld salaries are paid and other outstanding financial commitments are honoured. The union warned that continued government inaction could lead to prolonged disruption of academic activities across the country’s public universities.
“We urge the federal government to act swiftly to avoid extended disruption to the academic calendar,” Prof. Piwuna said.
The strike marks another chapter in the ongoing standoff between the federal government and ASUU, which has repeatedly clashed with authorities over issues of funding and staff welfare in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions.
