ASUU Threatens Fresh Showdown with FG Over Alleged Breach of 2025 Agreement

ASUU Threatens Fresh Showdown with FG Over Alleged Breach of 2025 Agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened a fresh confrontation with the Federal Government over what it described as the flawed and selective implementation of the December 2025 agreement reached after years of negotiations aimed at stabilising Nigeria’s university system.

The warning followed the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa State, where ASUU leaders expressed frustration over what they called the government’s failure to fully implement critical aspects of the agreement signed with the union.

Reading the communiqué to journalists in Abuja on Monday, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said the growing dissatisfaction among lecturers could trigger another round of industrial unrest across public universities if urgent steps are not taken.

According to him, the union had deliberately remained patient since the agreement was publicly unveiled in January 2026 to allow the Federal Government demonstrate commitment to implementation, but the process has remained slow and inconsistent.

“The increasing frustration occasioned by the seeming government’s disinterestedness in the welfare of Nigerian academics is brewing a pent-up anger which could erupt into a new wave of industrial unrest if not addressed,” Piwuna warned.

ASUU accused both Federal and State Governments of failing to faithfully implement several provisions of the agreement, particularly those relating to lecturers’ welfare, salary adjustments and university funding.

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The union listed unresolved issues to include the withheld three-and-half months’ salaries from the 2022 strike period, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls linked to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), unremitted third-party deductions and outstanding arrears of the 25–35 per cent wage award approved for university workers.

ASUU also faulted the Federal Government for failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), which was expected to oversee the execution of the agreement and prevent bureaucratic delays.

According to the union, the absence of the monitoring committee has created loopholes that allowed what it described as distorted and selective implementation of some aspects of the deal by university authorities and government agencies.

The December 2025 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government was considered a major breakthrough after nearly 16 years of disputes surrounding the renegotiation of the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement.

The deal reportedly included a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff, improved university funding, enhanced welfare packages, research support and measures to strengthen university autonomy and academic freedom.

Part of the agreement also covered the payment of outstanding salary arrears, revitalisation funds for public universities and protection for lecturers who participated in previous industrial actions.

However, ASUU said many of the promises made under the agreement have either been partially implemented or ignored entirely.

The union stressed that the worsening welfare conditions of lecturers and the poor state of public universities could further damage the education sector if government fails to act swiftly.

Piwuna appealed to Nigerians, parents and stakeholders in the education sector to prevail on both federal and state governments to fully implement the agreement in order to avoid another disruption of the academic calendar.

“Our union’s doors remain open for working with the government to realise all our demands,” he said.

“At the same time, NEC directs an emergency meeting of NEC to be called in the next few weeks to review the situation and take appropriate action as may be necessary.”

The latest threat has renewed concerns over the possibility of another nationwide university strike, barely months after the Federal Government assured Nigerians that the new agreement with ASUU would guarantee lasting industrial peace in the tertiary education sector.

ASUU Threatens Fresh Showdown with FG Over Alleged Breach of 2025 Agreement