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ASUU members stage protests across campuses, halting lectures and exams
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Union demands unpaid salaries, revitalisation funds, and implementation of 2009 agreement
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Leaders warn of indefinite strike if FG fails to act before August 28 meeting
Academic activities across Nigerian universities were disrupted on Tuesday as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged simultaneous protests nationwide, demanding immediate government action on unresolved issues affecting the sector.
Lecturers carried placards and chanted solidarity songs in Abuja, Lagos, Akure, Jos, Uyo, Minna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Umudike, and other university towns, calling for payment of withheld salaries, release of earned allowances, and implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
In Abuja, academics marched around university gates, while in Uyo, the ongoing semester examinations at the University of Uyo were disrupted.
At the Federal University of Lafia, ASUU lamented the rising death toll of lecturers, claiming more than 240 academics die yearly due to poor welfare and economic hardship.
Leaders of the union, including Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh (Yakubu Gowon University), Prof. Adeola Egbedokun (ASUU Akure Zone), and Prof. Opeyemi Olajide (UI and UNIUYO), accused the Federal Government of insensitivity, stressing that lecturers have been on the same salary structure for over 16 years despite worsening inflation.
The union also rejected the Federal Government’s newly introduced Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund loan scheme, describing it as a “poisoned chalice” that does not address core issues of funding and welfare.
Branch leaders at FUT Minna, NDU, and PLASU said loans were no substitute for renegotiated agreements and revitalisation funds.
In Sokoto, Zamfara, Maiduguri, and Ilorin, ASUU chapters reiterated their readiness for a nationwide strike if the government fails to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement and meet outstanding obligations.
READ ALSO: ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike, Rejects FG’s Loan Scheme
Protest leaders reminded President Bola Tinubu of his 2022 campaign pledge that university strikes would not occur under his administration.
With campuses nationwide witnessing marches, placards, and suspension of classes, ASUU’s National Executive Committee insisted all options remain open ahead of the August 28 meeting with the government, warning that failure to act could plunge the university system into another prolonged shutdown.
