Academic activities have been thrown into uncertainty at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and Imo State University, Owerri, following the commencement of indefinite strikes by the institutions’ chapters of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The development has heightened concerns over a fresh wave of industrial action across Nigeria’s university system, coming barely weeks after ASUU’s National Executive Council authorised 20 university branches to begin processes that could lead to strikes over the alleged failure of the Federal Government and some state governments to fully implement the 2025 agreement reached with the union.
The decision was reached at the union’s NEC meeting held at the University of Abuja on Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9, 2026, and was disclosed in a statement issued by ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, on Monday.
Under the resolutions of the meeting, the affected branches were directed to issue 14-day ultimatums to their respective authorities, demanding that outstanding issues be addressed. The branches are expected to commence industrial action if their demands are not met within the stipulated period.
The union said the move was driven by concerns over the slow pace of implementation of the 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU, as well as the failure of several state-owned universities to implement provisions of the agreement.
Piwuna further directed the affected branches to take appropriate action after the expiration of their ultimatums. He noted that branches within the Sokoto Zone had already issued two-week ultimatums to their respective authorities.
However, while several branches are still at the ultimatum stage, the ASUU chapters at Nasarawa State University and Imo State University have already moved ahead with indefinite strikes, effectively bringing academic activities at the institutions to a halt.
At Nasarawa State University, the university’s ASUU chapter declared a total and indefinite strike over alleged unpaid entitlements put at more than N₦3 billion.
The chapter chairman, Zubairu Loko, said the outstanding obligations included Earned Academic Allowance, consequential adjustments arising from the implementation of the national minimum wage and the Federal Government-approved salary increase for university lecturers.
According to him, the union had made several attempts to resolve the matter through engagements with the university management, the Governing Council and the Nasarawa State Government, but the efforts had failed to produce the desired result.
The chapter subsequently withdrew its services, leaving teaching, supervision and research activities suspended across the institution.
“Enough is enough. We have withdrawn our services. There will be no teaching, no supervision, no research until our money is paid,” he said.
The situation is similarly tense at Imo State University, where the ASUU chapter has commenced an indefinite strike over what it described as the failure of the Imo State Government to implement the 2025 agreement reached between the union and the Federal Government.
The union said it had waited for almost eight months for the agreement to be implemented, while pointing out that some other state-owned universities had already begun implementing its provisions.
The Imo State University chapter listed several grievances behind its decision, including the continued deduction of the university’s internally generated revenue into the Treasury Single Account, which it said undermined the institution’s autonomy.
The union also cited the alleged erosion of university autonomy, non-payment of promotion arrears dating back to 2016 and outstanding salaries owed some members of staff.
The latest developments have placed renewed pressure on governments and university authorities to address the growing list of financial and administrative grievances raised by ASUU, amid fears that the disputes could spread to more institutions if the outstanding issues remain unresolved.
ASUU has also directed branches in federal universities where lecturers are allegedly being underpaid to take steps to press their demands. The directive extends to federal universities of agriculture and other affected institutions.
With 20 branches now authorised to begin the process towards industrial action, the unfolding situation could trigger another major disruption in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector if negotiations fail to resolve the outstanding issues before the expiration of the various ultimatums.