ASUU To Begin Nationwide Strike Over Unpaid Salaries.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has instructed its members across Nigeria to commence an indefinite nationwide strike, citing the Federal Government’s failure to pay June 2025 salaries. The directive, issued on 7 July 2025, aligns with the union’s “No Pay, No Work” policy, which mandates the withdrawal of services if salaries are delayed beyond the first three days of a new month. ASUU branches at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have already begun industrial action, suspending lectures and statutory meetings.
ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, confirmed the strike in a statement, expressing frustration over persistent salary delays that have caused significant hardship for academic staff. He attributed the issue to inefficiencies in the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), which replaced the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS). Piwuna accused officials, particularly at the Office of the Accountant General, of deliberately delaying payments, despite diplomatic efforts by the union, including meetings with the Minister of Education and the Accountant-General of the Federation. The University of Jos branch chairman, Dr Jurbe Molwus, noted that a strike monitoring team has been activated to ensure compliance, warning that continued delays would sustain the industrial action.
The strike adds to ongoing tensions between ASUU and the Federal Government, with unresolved issues from the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, including unpaid Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and revitalisation funds for public universities. ASUU has demanded the immediate payment of the outstanding June salaries and the release of N10 billion in EAA arrears to resolve the crisis. The action threatens to disrupt the academic calendar, leaving millions of students stranded, as seen in previous strikes, including the eight-month stoppage in 2022. Piwuna urged Nigerians to hold the government accountable, emphasising that timely salary payments are essential for effective teaching and university administration.
