An increasing number of branches of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) nationwide have suspended teaching and academic activities in protest against the Federal Government’s failure to pay June 2025 salaries on time.
This escalating industrial action follows a prior warning by ASUU’s National President, Dr. Chris Piwuna, who recently told journalists that the union would implement a strict “no pay, no work” policy if salaries were delayed beyond the start of July.
Despite the union’s warning, many academic staff in federal universities and polytechnics across Nigeria have yet to receive their June pay. As a result, lecturers in multiple institutions have begun withdrawing their services, disrupting lectures and other academic functions.
At the University of Jos in Plateau State, the local ASUU branch declared a total suspension of all academic activities. Branch Chairman Dr. Jurbe Molwus confirmed the decision, citing the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) resolution, which requires branches to halt work if salaries remain unpaid by the third day of the new month.
“Our members have ceased all lectures and statutory meetings in line with the NEC directive. We have also activated our strike monitoring team to ensure full compliance across the campus,” Molwus said in a statement.
Similarly, at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi, the ASUU branch has also withdrawn academic services. The branch chairman, Dr. Angulu Haruna, condemned what he described as the Federal Government’s persistent disregard for university staff welfare.
“While other categories of government workers are paid promptly, university lecturers are treated as an afterthought,” Haruna said. “We’ve repeatedly been told the delay stems from the migration off the IPPIS platform, but that excuse no longer holds any credibility.”
In the Federal Capital Territory, lecturers at the University of Abuja also stayed away from their classes on Monday. Campus sources confirmed that most academic staff were observing the union’s directive and were absent from lecture halls and official meetings.
The industrial tension is not limited to universities alone. The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has also weighed in on the matter. In a strongly worded statement released Sunday night, ASUP warned the Federal Government that it would launch a nationwide strike if polytechnic lecturers’ salaries were not paid immediately.
“Failure to meet our salary obligations will result in a full-scale industrial action,” the ASUP statement declared, signaling a potentially broader disruption in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
At Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, reports indicate that many lecturers have also suspended teaching activities in solidarity with ASUU’s directive. A senior lecturer at ABU, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said most academic staff had agreed to halt all teaching and administrative meetings until their salaries were paid.
Observers warn that the growing number of campuses suspending activities could cripple Nigeria’s public higher education system if the government does not resolve the salary payment issues swiftly. Both students and parents have expressed concern over the possibility of another protracted nationwide academic shutdown.
NB: The situation remains fluid, and salary payment timelines or union directives may change as negotiations continue.
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