Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nsukka Zone, has warned the federal government to immediately commence full implementation of the 2025 agreement with the Union or be ready to face industrial action soon.
The Union further stated that the continued delay of the implementation of the agreement by FG could lead to another round of industrial crisis in the nation’s university system.
The Union’s Zonal Coordinator, Christian Opara gave the warning at a press conference held in Makurdi, on Thursday.
Prof. Opara noted that government was “taking the same unproductive route” that previously led to prolonged strikes in Nigerian universities and therefore appealed to the general public to urge the federal government to implement the agreement to keep the university system running.
The Nsukka Zone comprises eight universities including Rev Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi (MOAUM), Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM), Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO), Kogi State University, Anyigba (KSU), Federal University Lokoja (FUL), Federal University Wukari (FUW) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
The zone insisted that the key aspects of the agreement signed on January 14, 2026, had either been partially implemented and abandoned entirely now.
He faulted the Federal Government for failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), which it said was meant to ensure faithful execution of the agreement and prevent bureaucratic sabotage.
ASUU equally criticised the establishment of the proposed National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF) without involving ASUU, describing the move as a breach of the agreement.
According to Opara, the agreement had stipulated that at least one percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, should be dedicated to research, innovation and development funding.
He, however, questioned the Federal Government’s decision to benchmark the proposed fund at 500 million dollars without consultation with the union.
The union further decried the non-integration of key allowances such as Consolidated Tools Allowance (CATA), Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and Professorial Allowance (PA) into the Consolidated Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONUASS) and frowned at inadequate government funding and reluctance by some state governments to implement the agreement despite participating in the negotiations that produced it.
ASUU also raised concerns over lingering welfare issues, including unpaid arrears arising from the 25 to 35 percent salary award, promotion arrears, unpaid third-party deductions, pension remittances, salary shortfalls linked to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and the withheld three-and-a-half months salaries from the 2022 ASUU strike.
“We express our dissatisfaction over the increasing interference in university administration by governing councils and visitors. There is such interference situation at Benue State University where attempts are being made to arbitrarily overturn the appointment of a Deputy Vice Chancellor.
“ASUU also condemn the questionable appointments and promotions to professorial positions in some universities. Specifically four cases are under investigation at Federal University Lokoja”, he said.
On the welfare of retired academics, the union described delays in the payment of pensions and gratuities as evidence of government insensitivity and also cited the case of late Professor Targema Iorvaa of Benue State University, who reportedly died without receiving his pension and gratuity benefits.
In his remarks, the National Investment Officer, Celestine Aguoru who noted that the government has failed in its promise to commence implementation five months after the agreement said the union would convene an emergency meeting in the first week of June to decide the next line of action.
He urged Nigerians to hold the Government responsible should the universities be shut again, saying “Our children don’t need to be at home or on the streets. We do not like strikes, we only go on strike as the last option. The Government should be held responsible if ASUU goes on strike.
“We call on the general public to appeal to the government to avert the situation they are pushing us into,” he said saying ASUU is poised to ensure that keep running.
