ASUU Protests Sweep Campuses Ahead of Talks with FG
ASUU Protests Sweep Campuses Ahead of Talks with FG
On Tuesday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged coordinated protests across campuses nationwide to press home its long-standing demands from the Federal Government, just two days ahead of a crucial meeting slated for Thursday in Abuja.
From Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to Federal University of Lafia, University of Ilorin, University of Calabar, Abia State University, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Federal University of Technology Akure, Plateau State University, University of Maiduguri, and Osun State University, lecturers marched with placards, chanting solidarity songs and warning that a strike was imminent if the government failed to address their grievances.
Across all campuses, their demands remained uniform: full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, release of three and a half months’ withheld salaries, payment of 25–35 per cent outstanding salary arrears, settlement of promotion arrears, revitalisation of public universities, rejection of the proposed staff loan scheme for tertiary institutions, and the adoption of UTAS in place of IPPIS to safeguard university autonomy.
At OAU, ASUU Chairperson, Prof. Tony Odiwe, noted that lecturers had been on the same salary scale since 2009 and accused the government of deliberately delaying action on the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation committee report, which was submitted in February 2025.
He warned that the government would be held responsible if industrial peace on campuses collapsed.
Similarly, ASUU’s Akure Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Adeola Egbedokun, declared at FUOYE that patience among academics had reached a breaking point.
“Our members teach on empty stomachs, live in debt, and can no longer afford basic needs. If the government chooses provocation over responsibility, then it alone must bear the consequences,” he said.
In Lafia, ASUU Branch Chairperson, Sunday Orinya, accused the government of deceit and neglect, lamenting the deaths of lecturers due to pauperisation and hardship. He reiterated demands for withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and proper funding of universities.
At Plateau State University, ASUU members were joined by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shedrack Best, and the National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna.
They decried poor salaries, non-payment of allowances, and enforcement of IPPIS, warning that the autonomy of universities was under siege.
In Sokoto, protests drew members from three universities, with UDUS Chairman, Prof. Nurudeen Almustapha, demanding immediate implementation of the Yayale Ahmed report and describing the government’s loan scheme as a “poisoned chalice.”
At UNILORIN, protesters carried placards reading “University workers are not slaves” and “Honour your agreement with ASUU.”
Branch Chair, Dr. Alex Akanmu, said Nigeria’s refusal to implement its own agreements had further pauperised lecturers and left the university system near collapse.
In Akure, FUTA ASUU Chair, Prof. Pius Mogaji, condemned the government’s “reckless indifference” to the Yayale Ahmed report and warned that “all options remain on the table.”
At the University of Calabar, Branch Chairperson Peter Ubi accused the government of eroding trust and plunging members into debt. In Maiduguri, ASUU members protested over poor retirement benefits, unpaid arrears, and the renaming of the institution after former President Muhammadu Buhari without prior consultation.
In Umuahia, lecturers at Abia State University carried placards rejecting the proposed government loan scheme while decrying unpaid salaries. At Osun State University, Chairperson Dr. Wende Olaosebikan criticised the non-payment of salary increments and alleged victimisation of academic staff.
Across campuses, lecturers cautioned that unless the Federal Government made concrete commitments at Thursday’s meeting, the current uneasy calm in universities could collapse into another nationwide strike.
