The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday staged coordinated protests across campuses nationwide, pressing long-standing demands from the Federal Government just two days before a decisive meeting scheduled for Thursday in Abuja.
From Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to the University of Ilorin, Federal University of Lafia, University of Calabar, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Federal University of Technology Akure, Plateau State University, University of Maiduguri, Abia State University, and Osun State University, lecturers marched with placards, chanting solidarity songs and warning of an imminent strike if government inaction continued.
Core demands included implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, release of three and a half months’ withheld salaries, payment of outstanding 25–35 per cent salary arrears and promotion arrears, revitalisation of universities, rejection of the proposed tertiary institution staff loan scheme, and adoption of UTAS in place of IPPIS to protect university autonomy.
At OAU, ASUU Chairperson Prof. Tony Odiwe accused government of deliberately stalling the report of the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation committee submitted in February 2025. He noted that lecturers had been on the same salary scale since 2009, warning that collapse of industrial peace would be blamed on government.
Similar sentiments echoed nationwide. At FUOYE, Akure Zonal Coordinator Prof. Adeola Egbedokun declared that patience among academics had reached breaking point, saying members “teach on empty stomachs, live in debt, and can no longer afford basic needs.” At Lafia, branch chair Sunday Orinya accused government of deceit and neglect, lamenting that many lecturers had died due to hardship.
At Plateau State University, the protest drew the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shedrack Best, alongside ASUU National President Prof. Chris Piwuna, who warned that poor salaries, unpaid allowances, and IPPIS enforcement were undermining university autonomy.
In Sokoto, protests brought together members from three universities, with UDUS chair Prof. Nurudeen Almustapha calling the government’s loan scheme a “poisoned chalice” and demanding immediate implementation of the Yayale Ahmed report.
At UNILORIN, placards read “University workers are not slaves” and “Honour your agreement with ASUU.” Branch chair Dr. Alex Akanmu said failure to implement agreements had pauperised lecturers and pushed the system to collapse.
Similar grievances were aired in Akure, Calabar, Maiduguri, Umuahia, and Osogbo, with chairs condemning unpaid arrears, poor retirement benefits, and alleged victimisation of staff.
Across the campuses, the message was unified: unless Thursday’s Abuja meeting delivers concrete action, Nigeria’s universities may once again be thrown into a nationwide strike.
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