ASUU Protests Nationwide Over Unmet 2009 Agreement, Unpaid Salaries

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday staged peaceful protests across several Nigerian universities, demanding that the Federal Government fully implement long-standing agreements dating back to 2009.

Lecturers at the University of Calabar, University of Ibadan (UI), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), University of Abuja, Bayero University Kano (BUK), among others, marched with placards calling attention to unpaid salaries, stalled reforms, and poor working conditions.

ASUU leaders accused the government of failing to honour commitments on university funding, research grants, salary adjustments, and autonomy despite years of negotiations.

University of Ibadan (UI)
The UI protest was led by ASUU branch chairperson, Dr. Aderemi Afolabi, who said the government’s delay tactics had left lecturers deeply frustrated.
“Our members are increasingly frustrated with the government’s delay tactics, the so-called ‘keep them talking’ syndrome,” he said, noting that members were no longer willing to wait endlessly for results.

Bayero University Kano (BUK)
ASUU-BUK Vice Chairman, Comrade Yusuf Madugu, said the protest became necessary after the Federal Government failed to act on renegotiated agreements concluded in December 2024. He listed demands including payment of three-and-a-half months’ withheld salaries from the 2022 strike, increased wages, revitalisation funds, and protection of university autonomy.

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)
At OAU, lecturers led by ASUU chairman, Prof. Anthony Odiwe, carried placards reading “Lecturers Are Not Slaves” and “We Say No To Loans.” He accused the government of neglecting academic staff, urging religious leaders, traditional rulers, and lawmakers to intervene.

University of Abuja
In Abuja, ASUU chapter chairman, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, lamented that staff had been on the same salary structure since 2009.
“Our members are dying in increasing numbers, 90 per cent of those deaths are stress related. No nation can grow beyond the strength and quality of its university education system,” he said.

Ugoh rejected the government’s proposed loan initiatives, stressing that what lecturers need is payment of entitlements, not debts. “We don’t need loans. Pay us our three-and-a-half months’ withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage awards,” he insisted.

Background
The 2009 ASUU–Federal Government agreement was meant to improve salaries, infrastructure, and autonomy in universities, but repeated renegotiations have stalled since 2017. ASUU says nine key issues remain unresolved, including unpaid 2022 strike salaries, delayed revitalisation funds, unfulfilled academic allowances, and the non-adoption of its University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) payment platform.

In May, ASUU warned of a nationwide strike if the government failed to act. Despite promises of N150 billion in funding and wage adjustments by 2026, the union says no progress has been made—triggering the latest wave of nationwide protests.