The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the federal government of failing to fully implement the 2025 agreement reached with the union, warning that continued delays could trigger another round of industrial action in public universities.
The union said recent claims by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, that the agreement had been fully implemented do not reflect the realities being faced by lecturers in federal and state universities.
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Speaking during a press conference at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, on Monday, the Abuja Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Adamu Al-Abdullahi, said lecturers were still grappling with unpaid allowances, salary shortfalls, pension challenges and unresolved welfare issues.
“It is exactly five months since the fanfare that accompanied the signing of the FG/ASUU agreement after a protracted negotiation spanning eight years.
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“However, the claim that the FG has fully implemented the agreement is far from the realities on ground in federal universities,” he said.
ASUU alleged that the federal government had abandoned the agreed implementation framework by failing to establish the monitoring committee meant to oversee uniform compliance across universities.
According to the union, institutions are now implementing parts of the agreement inconsistently, with university administrators allegedly deciding which allowances to pay.
The union specifically mentioned concerns surrounding the payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, Earned Academic Allowance and Professorial Allowance.
ASUU also accused some state governments of failing to uphold commitments made during negotiations despite participating in the agreement process.
The union listed several unresolved welfare issues affecting lecturers nationwide, including arrears linked to the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, withheld salaries from the 2022 ASUU strike, unpaid pension contributions and unremitted third-party deductions.
“We want to sound this clear, no country can progress when the welfare issues of academics are left unattended,” Abdullahi stated.
The union further criticised the federal government’s enforcement of the “No Work, No Pay” policy against lecturers involved in the 2022 strike, arguing that academics continued research and community service activities during the industrial action.
“Withholding salaries of university lecturers on account of ‘no work, no pay’ is like reducing scholars to menial workers whose livelihood is anchored in physical appearances at their worksite,” he added.
ASUU also raised concerns over delays in pension harmonisation for retired academics and alleged that some state universities still lack functional pension schemes for staff.
In addition, the union expressed worry over what it described as irregularities in university administration, including controversial appointments and the introduction of titles such as “Professor of Practice” and “Diaspora Professors.”
According to ASUU, some appointments were allegedly carried out outside approved university procedures and without the involvement of governing councils or university senates.
The union’s latest warning comes despite repeated assurances from the federal government that the 2025 agreement would resolve long-standing disputes over university funding, staff welfare and earned allowances that have led to repeated strikes in public universities over the years.
