ASUU threatens strikes in Oyo, Kwara, Enugu over pay deal

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened industrial action in Oyo, Kwara and Enugu states over the failure of their governments to implement the 2025 ASUU/Federal Government agreement on lecturers’ remuneration and allowances.

The union warned that universities in the affected states could be shut down if the agreement, including accrued arrears from January 2026, is not fully implemented.

Speaking under the aegis of the ASUU Ibadan Zone, which comprises the University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osun State University, Kwara State University and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, the union called on Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State to commence full implementation of the agreement from July 2026.

The union made the demand after a meeting held at Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, on Tuesday.

Addressing journalists, the Ibadan Zonal Coordinator, Prof Biodun Olaniran, said members in Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and Kwara State University were facing severe hardship due to the non-implementation of the agreement.

According to him, the inability of the state governments to provide the necessary financial backing for the agreement had left lecturers struggling to meet personal and family obligations amid prevailing economic conditions.

He said, “It is provocative and unjust. Our members in these institutions are being shortchanged by the governors and visitors of Oyo and Kwara states, who have failed to provide the financial backing required for full implementation of the signed agreement.

“However, the role of the governing councils of these state universities must be commended for their efforts to address the implementation of the agreement.”

Olaniran said the patience of members had been exhausted, adding that the union had commenced full mobilisation for a comprehensive and indefinite strike if the government failed to act.

He demanded that the next salaries of lecturers in the affected institutions should reflect the Consequential Adjustment and Transport Allowance component and other benefits captured in the agreement.

“The next salary of our members in these universities must reflect the CATA component and all other allowances stipulated in the agreement. All accrued arrears from January 2026 must be paid in full without delay.

“We state, with all sense of responsibility, that any failure or further prevarication by the state governments will inevitably provoke a total, comprehensive and indefinite industrial action,” he said.

The union appealed to the governors to take immediate action to prevent disruption of academic activities, insisting that full implementation of the agreement remained the only path to industrial harmony.

ASUU also sympathised with victims of insecurity in Oyo State and across the country, urging governments to strengthen security systems and protect vulnerable communities.

Similarly, the ASUU Nsukka Zone threatened to embark on an indefinite strike at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology if the Enugu State Government failed to implement the 2025 ASUU/Federal Government agreement by the end of July.

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Speaking at a press conference titled “End the Lamentation in Enugu State University of Science and Technology,” held in Enugu on Tuesday, the Nsukka Zonal Coordinator, Prof Christian Opata, said the proposed industrial action would commence if the agreement and its arrears from January 2026 were not implemented.

“We wish to bring it to the knowledge of the public that if by the end of July 2026, the Enugu State Government fails to commence the implementation of the 2025 agreement, the branch will have no option but to embark on an indefinite, comprehensive and total strike.

“The implementation should also include the arrears dating back to January 2026 as obtained in other universities,” Opata said.

He noted that the agreement took effect in January 2026 and had been communicated to all state governments through the National Universities Commission and university managements.

Opata expressed concern that ESUT remained the only university within the ASUU Nsukka Zone yet to implement the agreement.

The zone comprises Benue State University, ESUT, the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Federal University Lokoja, Federal University Wukari, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Kogi State University, Anyigba, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Rejecting claims of inadequate funding, Opata argued that Enugu State had the financial capacity to implement the agreement, citing allocations received from the Federation Account in the first quarter of 2026.

“The logic of paucity of funds will not fly this time around as reports from both the National Bureau of Statistics and the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee indicate that Enugu State received substantial allocations from the Federation Account,” he said.

He added that states such as Bauchi and Ogun had already commenced implementation despite receiving lower allocations.

Opata also alleged that ESUT had yet to fully implement aspects of the 2009 ASUU/Federal Government agreement, including payment of the Earned Academic Allowance.

According to him, persistent failure to honour agreements had damaged staff morale and undermined the university’s ability to attract and retain qualified academics.

“How many strong academics would like to associate with a university that pays the least in the entire nation?” he asked.

He appealed to Governor Peter Mbah, the university’s governing council, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to intervene and avert a disruption of academic activities.

“Our union is not made up of strike mongers. The government always pushes us into that last line of action,” Opata said.