ASUU Orders Nationwide Strike, UNIJOS and UniAbuja Lead Compliance

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commenced a nationwide strike following the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries to its members. The action is in line with the union’s “No Pay, No Work” policy, which was adopted by its National Executive Council (NEC).

Branches of the union at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) and the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) have already withdrawn their services, with lecturers halting academic activities and statutory meetings.

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the industrial action on Monday, stating that it was a direct response to continued hardship experienced by university lecturers, which he attributed to the government’s lack of commitment and delays in salary payments.

“What they are doing is just enforcing a NEC resolution. We agreed that our members are going through a lot since our migration from IPPIS to GIFMIS. Certainly, our salaries are delayed for a week and sometimes 10 days. Therefore, we agreed that if there is no pay, there will be no work,” Piwuna said in an interview with Nigerian Tribune.

He explained that the switch from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) has worsened the situation, causing persistent salary delays.

Despite several meetings with the Minister of Education and the Accountant General of the Federation, ASUU says the issues remain unresolved. Piwuna accused the Office of the Accountant General of deliberately frustrating the process.

“The platform is working well. The problem is not technical but human. It’s just a deliberate effort by the Office of the Accountant General to delay the release of funds,” he added.

ASUU also raised concerns over the outstanding balance of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA). Out of N50 billion approved, only N40 billion has been paid, leaving a balance of N10 billion. Piwuna warned that failure to settle this balance could spark another round of confrontation.

Chairman of ASUU UNIJOS, Dr. Jurbe Molwus, confirmed the local compliance with the NEC resolution, stating that lecturers have withdrawn their services and activated the strike monitoring team.

Similarly, at the University of Abuja, sources confirmed that members of ASUU have joined the action, although the branch chairman, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, has yet to make an official statement. The university’s spokesperson, Dr. Habib Yakoob, declined to comment.

With the situation unfolding, other ASUU branches are expected to follow suit if salary payments are not made immediately, signaling a possible full-blown shutdown of federal universities nationwide.