The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Sokoto Zone, has warned of a possible industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities over what it described as the Federal Government’s failure to fully implement agreements reached with the union.
The union issued the warning during a press conference in Sokoto on Thursday, accusing both federal and state governments of neglecting critical welfare and funding issues affecting lecturers and public universities.
Speaking at the briefing, the ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Abubakar Sabo, said delays in implementing the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement were creating tension across campuses and threatening industrial harmony.
According to him, despite the agreement being publicly signed in January 2026, the government had yet to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee, leading to delays and inconsistencies in implementation across universities.
“The continued delay in addressing these issues is capable of provoking avoidable industrial unrest in the university system,” Sabo said.
He stated that several universities had yet to implement the agreed 40 per cent salary increment linked to Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances, CATA, Earned Academic Allowances and Professorial Allowances.
ASUU also listed unresolved issues affecting lecturers to include arrears of the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, salary shortfalls linked to the IPPIS platform, withheld salaries from the 2022 strike action and delayed pension payments for retired academics.
The union further raised concerns over conditions in some state-owned universities, including unpaid allowances, non-remittance of deductions and union dues, non-payment of annual increments and the absence of governing councils in some institutions.
Beyond welfare issues, ASUU criticised the Federal Government’s proposed establishment of a Nigerian campus of Coventry University under the Transnational Education framework, warning that it could weaken local universities.
The union also opposed plans to phase out some humanities and social science courses, insisting that all academic disciplines remain important to national development.
ASUU further expressed concern over worsening insecurity across parts of Northern Nigeria, noting that banditry, kidnapping and communal violence were affecting academic activities in many institutions.
The union called on governments at all levels to address insecurity, poverty and unemployment, while urging authorities to fully implement agreements reached with university workers to avoid further crisis in the education sector.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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