The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately implement the newly approved salary structure for university lecturers or face a possible nationwide shutdown of public universities.
The union issued a four-day ultimatum on Thursday, with its president, Christopher Piwuna, saying failure to act within the deadline would trigger a strong response.
Speaking at Sa’adu Zungur University in Bauchi State, Piwuna said the government must begin payment under the new salary arrangement without further delay.
“We have issued a four-day ultimatum from today to the federal government to commence payment of the newly approved salary structure. Failure to comply will attract a strong response from the union,” he said.
The warning comes months after ASUU and the federal government signed a renegotiated agreement in January, aimed at resolving long-standing disputes and preventing the recurring strikes that have plagued Nigeria’s university system.
At the heart of the agreement is a revised salary structure designed to improve lecturers’ welfare and finally address issues stemming from the controversial 2009 FG-ASUU pact, which remained largely unimplemented for years.
Despite initial optimism from the union that the deal would mark a turning point, ASUU says there has been little progress. Piwuna recently disclosed that many federal universities are struggling to pay salaries, with some unable to fully pay January wages and others yet to pay for February.
The crisis recently escalated at the University of Lagos where lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries before suspending the action after discussions with the institution’s management.
According to ASUU, the delay in implementing the new pay structure is linked to practical challenges, including the slow passage of the 2026 national budget.
With the ultimatum now in effect, pressure is mounting on the government to act quickly and avert another disruption to academic activities across the country’s public universities.
The PUNCH