ASUU Threatens Indefinite Strike in Three States Over Unpaid 2025 Agreement

By Halima Abdulazeez Muhammad.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike across state-owned universities in Edo, Delta and Ondo states if the affected state governments fail to implement the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU Agreement and settle outstanding allowances.

The warning was issued on Monday by the Benin Zone of ASUU during a press briefing in Benin City. The union said its branches had begun mobilising members for a total shutdown of academic activities should the governments fail to act before the end of July.

Speaking on behalf of the union, the Benin Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Monday Igbafen, said the governments of the three states had failed to implement the agreement six months after it was unveiled, despite repeated engagements and a directive from the Federal Government encouraging state-owned universities to adopt its provisions.

According to him, the universities likely to be affected include Ambrose Alli University, Adekunle Ajasin University, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Delta State University, University of Delta, Dennis Osadebay University and Southern Delta University.

Prof. Igbafen said while the Federal Government and several state governments had already implemented the agreement and paid the approved arrears, Edo, Delta and Ondo states had yet to provide the financial backing needed for implementation.

He explained that the unpaid benefits include the Consolidated Academic and Technologists Allowance (CATA), other approved allowances under the 2025 agreement and arrears dating back to January 2026. He described the continued delay as unfair and a breach of the understanding reached between the union and the authorities.

The union maintained that it had exercised patience for six months and exhausted dialogue with the affected governments. It warned that if the agreement is not reflected in the July salary payment, lecturers would have no option but to withdraw their services indefinitely.

ASUU stressed that its planned industrial action is intended to compel compliance with agreements rather than disrupt the academic calendar. However, it noted that failure by the governments to honour the agreement would leave the union with no alternative.

The latest threat raises fresh concerns over possible disruptions in Nigeria’s public university system, where strikes by academic staff have repeatedly interrupted academic activities in recent years. Students in the affected institutions now face uncertainty as they await the response of their respective state governments.