The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has directed its members across the country to embark on a nationwide strike following delays in the payment of June 2025 salaries. The union said the move aligns with its “No Pay, No Work” policy, which mandates withdrawal of services whenever salaries are delayed beyond the third day of a new month.
Branches of the union at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have already commenced industrial action in compliance with the directive.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development to Tribune Online on Monday in Abuja. He explained that the strike is an enforcement of a National Executive Council (NEC) resolution, which was adopted due to recurring salary delays and worsening financial conditions of lecturers.
“What our members are doing is simply enforcing a NEC decision. Once salaries are delayed beyond three days into a new month, members are expected to stop work until they are paid. The hardship has become unbearable,” Piwuna said.
He criticised government officials for their indifferent attitude toward the plight of university lecturers, describing their salaries as meagre and the delays as inexcusable.
Piwuna blamed the ongoing hardship on the migration from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), which he said has worsened salary delays.
According to him, several efforts to engage the Minister of Education and the Accountant General of the Federation on the matter have yielded no results.
“All institutions that have not received their June salaries are expected to comply. This is the only language the government seems to understand,” he said.
He added that the payment platform itself is not the issue, but rather the deliberate inaction of those responsible for processing salary disbursement.
“There are no technical issues with GIFMIS. When the money is eventually released, no one complains of underpayment. The real problem lies with the Office of the Accountant General, where the delay is being orchestrated. It is a clear case of sabotage,” Piwuna asserted.
He also issued a warning over the remaining balance of lecturers’ Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), urging the government to quickly release the outstanding N10 billion.
“Out of the agreed N50 billion EAA, only N40 billion has been released. We do not want another strike over this. Let the remaining N10 billion be paid without delay,” he warned.
At the University of Jos, ASUU branch chairman Dr. Jurbe Molwus confirmed that members have officially withdrawn their services. He noted that lecturers have stopped attending lectures and statutory meetings, and a strike monitoring committee has been activated to ensure full compliance.
“This is not just a protest—it is the implementation of NEC’s directive. Each time salaries are delayed beyond the third day of the month, our members will continue to withdraw their services,” Molwus said.
In Abuja, the University of Abuja ASUU branch has also joined the strike, though the branch chairman, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, was unavailable to confirm officially. The university’s spokesperson, Dr. Habib Yakoob, declined to comment and referred inquiries to the ASUU branch leadership.
ASUU maintains that the strike will continue until all outstanding salaries are paid and a sustainable salary payment structure is guaranteed.
