The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has directed its members across the country to commence a nationwide strike over the delayed payment of their June 2025 salaries.
ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who confirmed the development in Abuja, said the action is in line with the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) resolution to enforce a “No Pay, No Work” policy whenever salaries are delayed beyond three days into a new month. He said the decision was a direct response to the recurring hardship faced by members due to persistent salary delays, particularly since the federal government moved university payrolls from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
“Our members are experiencing hardship. Salaries are often delayed by a week or more. At NEC, we agreed that if salaries are not paid within three days of a new month, members should withdraw their services”, he said.
Prof. Piwuna criticised what he described as the nonchalant attitude of relevant government officials toward lecturers’ welfare, saying that despite engaging both the Minister of Education and the Office of the Accountant General, no meaningful progress has been made.
He further insisted that the salary delays are not due to technical issues with the GIFMIS platform, but rather a deliberate act of negligence by the Office of the Accountant General.
“When funds are eventually released, there are no complaints of underpayment or technical failure. The system works; it’s the handlers who are stalling. We believe this delay is intentional”, he added.
Piwuna further said that the union is also concerned about the outstanding N10 billion in Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) owed by the federal government. He noted that although the government initially promised N50 billion, only N40 billion has been disbursed.
“We expect the remaining N10 billion to be paid without further delay to prevent another round of agitation”, he cautioned.
ASUU branches at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have already embarked on the industrial action in compliance with the directive.
ASUU UniJos branch chairman, Dr Jurbe Molwus, confirmed that lecturers have withdrawn their services due to the unpaid June salaries, in line with the NEC resolution. He disclosed that a strike monitoring team has been activated to ensure full compliance and warned that continued delays in salary payments would lead to sustained industrial action.
ASUU has consistently maintained that timely payment of salaries is essential for effective teaching and university administration, and the current strike is the latest in a series of confrontations with the federal government over lecturers’ welfare.
Credit: THEWILL
