The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised alarm over what it described as the Federal Government’s reckless disregard for the plight of Nigerian lecturers, warning that a nationwide strike may soon cripple academic activities across the country if urgent action is not taken.
The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Akure Zone, Professor Adeola Egbedokun, issued the warning on Tuesday during a press conference held at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti. He accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to address long-standing issues bedeviling the nation’s tertiary institutions, despite repeated appeals and agitations since the government came into power two years ago.
Egbedokun lamented that the Federal Government’s silence and inaction had pushed lecturers to the edge, stressing that their patience had been stretched beyond endurance.
> “We will fight back, and the consequences will be damning, except the government takes a decisive step to attend to our demands urgently,” he declared.
ASUU’s Unmet Demands
The union’s grievances include:
Full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement
Sustainable and improved funding for Nigerian universities
Revitalisation of the dilapidated university system
Payment of outstanding 25–35 per cent salary arrears
Release of stagnated promotions denied for over four years
Remittance of withheld third-party deductions
An end to victimisation of ASUU members across institutions
Professor Egbedokun said lecturers have been “frozen, stagnant, and insultingly irrelevant” in Nigeria’s harsh economy, noting the bitter irony that the very lecturers who groom the nation’s future leaders can no longer afford their own children’s education.
The ASUU leader accused the Federal Government of treating the report of the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee, submitted in February 2025, with “reckless indifference.” He described the action as “a betrayal of trust and an insult to the principle of collective bargaining.”
While acknowledging the Federal Government’s proposed meeting slated for August 28, 2025, Egbedokun warned that time was running out.
> “Trust has been shattered, and only decisive government action can mend it. If the government chooses provocation over responsibility, then it alone must bear the consequences of the storm that will follow. The ball is squarely in its court,” he said.
ASUU urged all well-meaning Nigerians—including the National Assembly, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)—to prevail upon the government and prevent an avoidable industrial crisis.
> “For over two years, we have kept faith with dialogue and refrained from strikes, but our patience has reached its limit. Our tanks are empty, and this long road cannot be traveled any further without genuine results,” Egbedokun said.
Loan Policy Rejection
The union also rejected the Federal Government’s proposed loan scheme for lecturers, describing it as a “sinister trap” designed to enslave members.
> “This loan policy is nothing but a crude distraction. It is meant to suffocate our members, cripple cooperative societies, and push us into perpetual debt bondage while struggling to meet basic needs such as healthcare, shelter, and education for our children,” he added.
Egbedokun revealed that lecturers across the Akure Zone staged peaceful rallies on their campuses on Monday, a symbolic test-run of the union’s next line of action if the government continues to ignore their plight.
With tempers rising and trust eroded, the looming showdown between ASUU and the Federal Government threatens to once again plunge Nigerian universities into paralysis—unless urgent action is taken to avert what could become yet another prolonged and costly strike.
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