The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nsukka Zone, on Thursday warned Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible if public universities are shut down again.
The union said the government had failed to fully implement the agreement it signed with ASUU in December 2025.
ASUU made this known during a press conference held at the Benue State University campus in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Nsukka Zone, Christian Opata, and the union’s National Investment Officer, Celesine Aguoru, addressed journalists at the briefing.
Opata said the December 2025 agreement, which was expected to take effect from January 2026, had not been holistically implemented.
According to him, the Federal Government had failed to provide the required financial backing needed to fully execute the agreement.
He noted that while some parts of the agreement had been partially implemented, several key welfare components remained unattended to.
The zonal coordinator listed the outstanding issues to include the Consolidated Tools Allowances, Earned Academic Allowances and Professorial Allowances.
He said the allowances had yet to be integrated into the Consolidated Academic Staff Salary Scale as part of the monthly remuneration package for lecturers.
Opata expressed disappointment that the union’s hopes of resolving long-standing welfare issues had continued to suffer setbacks due to what he described as the government’s failure to act decisively.
He said several arrears and deductions owed to lecturers remained unpaid despite the agreement between both parties.
“As the time of holding this press conference, arrears arising from the 25-35% salary award, promotion arrears, unpaid third-party deductions (including check-off dues, cooperative contributions, and pension remittances), salary shortfalls linked to the introduction of IPPIS, as well as the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries resulting from the 2022 ASUU industrial action foisted on us by government remains unsettled as our members are yet to be paid,” Opata said.
The union said the continued delay had worsened the welfare conditions of academic staff in public universities.
The ASUU zonal chairman also accused the Federal Government of failing to inaugurate the Implementation Monitoring Committee provided for in the 2025 agreement.
According to him, the committee was expected to ensure faithful implementation of the agreement and prevent bureaucratic interference.
Opata said the failure to set up the committee had already affected the execution of key parts of the agreement.
He added that some of the issues the committee was meant to prevent had already occurred, resulting in what he described as a blemished implementation of a major provision of the December 2025 agreement.
Opata also faulted the proposed National Research Council announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, in April.
He said ASUU was not carried along in the process despite being a party to the agreement that addressed research development in Nigerian universities.
The union said any major policy affecting research and university development should involve academic stakeholders in order to ensure credibility, ownership and effectiveness.
Corroborating Opata’s position, ASUU’s National Investment Officer, Celesine Aguoru, warned that Nigerians should not blame the union if public universities are forced to shut down again.
Aguoru said the government must be held accountable for failing to honour agreements freely entered into with the union.
“If an agreement signed by both parties cannot be respected by the government, Nigerians should hold the government responsible if universities are shut down,” Aguoru said.
He maintained that ASUU was not eager to embark on another strike, but said the union could not continue to watch the government ignore agreements affecting the survival of public universities and the welfare of lecturers.
Aguoru urged Nigerians, parents, students and other stakeholders to prevail on the Federal Government to respond to ASUU’s demands before the situation degenerates.
