The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given reasons why the union might embark on a fresh strike, citing unresolved agreements and longstanding grievances with the federal government. Christopher Piwuna, president of ASUU, made this known in a statement titled ‘Why ASUU May Go on Strike’ on Thursday, September 10, after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
“This release was prompted by the resolution of an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ASUU held at our National Secretariat, University of Abuja, on Saturday, 5th September 5, 2026.
“We addressed the media last month, August 2026, to express our frustration and disenchantment with the despicable manner the federal government and many state governments had handled the implementation of the December 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which took over eight years of relentless struggles to achieve,” the statement read in part..
Piwuna said the appalling situation was on top of other unaddressed issues such as the 2022 withheld salaries of university lecturers, unremitted third-party deductions, disrespect for university laws and autonomy, and declining quality of Nigerian academics. “Except for recent attempts by the Federal Ministry of Education to defray outstanding salaries for Federal Universities of Agriculture, there have been no concerted efforts to address our concerns and worries on a sustainable basis.
“Each month, lecturers have been forced to be dagger-drawn with their vice-chancellors over uncertainty of when and what part of their salaries would be paid,” he noted.
He disclosed that this time, the union’s message to the nation is clear: “Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to fully and comprehensively address issues bordering the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” ASUU president emphasised.