By Ayo Kehinde
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns over what it described as the slow and distorted implementation of the 2025 agreement reached with the Federal Government, warning that Nigeria’s public university system may once again be plunged into industrial unrest if urgent steps are not taken to address lingering issues.
The warning followed the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Modibbo Adama University between May 9 and 10, 2026, where ASUU leaders reviewed the level of compliance with the agreement signed after years of negotiations between the union and government representatives.
In a statement issued on Monday by ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, the union said the enthusiasm that greeted the unveiling of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement in January 2026 was fading due to delays and inconsistencies in implementation.
According to the union, it had deliberately maintained silence since the agreement was formally presented to the public on January 14, 2026, in the hope that government authorities would faithfully execute the terms reached after the protracted negotiation process that lasted from 2017 to 2025.
However, ASUU said developments in recent months have compelled it to speak out.
“The momentum generated with the unveiling of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement on 14th January, 2026 is fast waning and may soon be lost if government’s promise to fully implement the agreement is not kept,” the union stated.
ASUU lamented that the failure to inaugurate the agreed Implementation Monitoring Committee had created room for what it termed “distorted and uncoordinated implementation” across federal and state-owned universities.
It accused some university administrators of selectively implementing portions of the agreement while neglecting critical financial commitments relating to lecturers’ welfare and remuneration.
Among the issues raised were the handling of Consolidated Academic Allowances, Earned Academic Allowances, and Professorial Allowances, which the union argued should have been fully integrated into the Consolidated Academic Salary Structure.
The union also expressed disappointment with state governments that participated in the negotiations but had allegedly failed to implement the resolutions reached with ASUU.
According to the statement, only a few state governments have complied substantially with the agreement, leaving lecturers in many state-owned institutions uncertain about their welfare and entitlements.
ASUU reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the gains secured during the eight-year negotiation process and vowed to continue pressing authorities to honour all provisions of the agreement.
Beyond salary concerns, the union criticised aspects of the Federal Government’s proposed National Research Council and the recently announced National Research and Innovation Development Fund.
It argued that the proposal did not align with the provisions of the 2025 agreement, particularly the recommendation that government should commit at least one per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to research, innovation, and development.
The union questioned the proposed $500 million funding arrangement for the initiative, expressing concerns over the source of the funds and the possibility of external borrowing.
On welfare matters, ASUU said several longstanding issues affecting lecturers remain unresolved.
These include salary arrears, promotion arrears, unremitted third-party deductions, salary shortfalls linked to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and the withheld salaries of lecturers affected during the 2022 industrial action.
The union also highlighted delays in pension payments to retired academics, particularly those in state universities, accusing the National Pension Commission of slowing down the harmonisation of pension benefits.
The development comes barely two months after the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, publicly declared that the era of strikes in Nigerian tertiary institutions had come to an end.
Speaking at an education stakeholders’ event in Lagos in March 2026, the minister assured students, parents, and the wider public that universities and polytechnics across the country would remain open throughout academic sessions without disruption.
Over the years, repeated industrial actions by ASUU have significantly affected Nigeria’s university calendar, prolonged students’ graduation timelines, and raised concerns about the long-term stability of the country’s higher education sector.
