The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Government of failing to fully implement the 2025 agreement signed with the union, five months after both parties concluded negotiations aimed at stabilising Nigeria’s public universities.
Speaking during a press conference held on Monday at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, the Abuja Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Dr. Adamu Al-Abdullahi, said claims by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, that the agreement had been fully implemented did not reflect the situation in federal universities.
According to him, lecturers are still facing unpaid entitlements, salary shortfalls, pension-related challenges, and unresolved welfare issues.
“It is exactly five months since the fanfare that accompanied the signing of the FG/ASUU Agreement after a protracted negotiation spanning eight years. However, the claim that the FG has fully implemented the agreement is far from the realities on ground in federal universities,” he said.
Al-Abdullahi alleged that the Federal Government failed to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee agreed upon during negotiations to ensure proper and uniform execution of the agreement.
He accused the government of leaving universities to implement the agreement independently, resulting in inconsistencies across institutions.
“The FG has left it to individual universities to implement in a distorted and uncoordinated manner,” he stated.
The union further alleged that some university administrations were selectively implementing approved allowances, including the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, Earned Academic Allowance, and Professorial Allowance.
ASUU also criticised some state governors for allegedly failing to honour aspects of the agreement despite participating in the negotiation process.
The union listed unresolved issues affecting lecturers to include arrears of the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, withheld salaries linked to the 2022 ASUU strike, unpaid pension contributions, and unremitted third-party deductions.
“We want to sound this clear, no country can progress when the welfare issues of academics are left unattended,” Al-Abdullahi said.
The ASUU official also faulted the Federal Government’s application of the “No Work, No Pay” policy against lecturers who participated in the 2022 industrial action.
According to him, lecturers continued research and community service activities during the strike period.
“Withholding salaries of university lecturers on account of ‘no work, no pay’ is like reducing scholars to menial workers whose livelihood is anchored in physical appearances at their worksite,” he added.
ASUU also raised concerns over delays in pension harmonisation for retired academics and alleged that some state universities still operate without functional pension schemes.
The union further expressed concern over what it described as irregularities in university administration, including the appointment of “Professor of Practice” and “Diaspora Professors” outside established procedures.
According to ASUU, some appointments were allegedly carried out without the approval of university senates and governing councils.
“In the process, people with doubtful academic credentials find their way into the university system and some even rise to become vice chancellors,” the union alleged.
The 2025 FG/ASUU Agreement followed years of negotiations over university funding, lecturers’ welfare, earned allowances, and other issues affecting Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
