By Our Reporter

Academic activities have been disrupted in at least 20 state-owned universities across Nigeria as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) begins a fresh indefinite strike action over the failure of state governments to implement key provisions of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement and settle outstanding financial obligations. The affected institutions include universities in Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Taraba, Ondo, Edo, Abia, Cross River, Enugu, Imo and Bayelsa states.

The action follows a directive from ASUU’s National Executive Council after its August 8–9 meeting in Abuja, which gave 20 university branches 14 days to resolve outstanding issues before industrial action. According to reports, the disputes centre largely on implementation of the 2025 agreement, including the new salary structure and payment of arrears dating from January 2026. However, some branches have additional demands relating to pensions, staff welfare, infrastructure and unpaid allowances.

At Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, branch chairman Prof. Bolu Oshodi said lecturers would not return to work on promises alone, insisting that actual payment was required. “We will call off the strike when we receive an alert in our bank accounts,” Oshodi said, adding that implementation of the agreement and arrears from January must be reflected in members’ accounts.

At Plateau State University, Bokkos, the union’s six-point demands include implementation of the 2025 agreement, payment of 22 months’ arrears of the 25/35 per cent wage award, commencement of a Contributory Pension Scheme, improved staff accommodation and an end to alleged intimidation of union leaders. The branch reportedly said the demands remained unresolved after a 14-day ultimatum, declaring that “the substance of our demands on all six items has not been satisfactorily addressed.”

The renewed strike underscores a widening implementation gap between agreements reached with university lecturers and the ability or willingness of state governments to honour them. While some state universities have begun implementing the new salary structure, the dispute at others threatens another disruption to academic calendars and places additional pressure on students and parents already grappling with prolonged uncertainty in Nigeria’s public university system.