Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja chapter, on Monday, joined the nationwide protest staged by university lecturers to demand immediate payment of their withheld salaries, wage arrears, and the implementation of a long-overdue renegotiated agreement.
Speaking during the protest, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, chairman of the ASUU UniAbuja chapter, said the action was to draw the attention of the federal government and Nigerians to the hardship faced by academic staff across the country.
He lamented that lecturers have remained on the same salary structure since 2009 despite repeated promises of review every three years, noting that the 2009 agreement, which should have been renegotiated in 2012, was only revisited in 2017 and concluded in February 2025 under the Elijah Yayale Ahmed-led committee.
“Since that report was submitted, we have not had anything from the federal government. Today, it is becoming increasingly difficult for our members to cope. All over the nation you hear of the deaths of academic staff, many of which are stress-related,” Ugoh said.
According to him, government is currently owing lecturers three-and-a-half-month salaries, as well as one year arrears of the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage awards. He also decried the non-payment of promotion arrears of members for over five years and failure to remit third-party deductions meant for cooperatives and unions.
Ugoh stressed that despite the union’s patience, government has failed to address the critical issues threatening the university system.
“It is not a gift we are asking for. We worked for our salaries. Pay us our arrears, implement the report of the renegotiation, and release our promotion arrears. This government keeps saying there’s no strike under them, but the truth is that we have only been patient,” he stated.
The ASUU leader also faulted recent government proposals to provide loans for academic staff of tertiary institutions, arguing that it was insensitive to talk of loans while legitimate entitlements remain unpaid.
He warned that the continued neglect of lecturers’ welfare was fueling brain drain, threatening the quality of education, and undermining Nigeria’s development.
“No nation develops beyond the level of its university system. If government is serious about moving Nigeria forward, it must first move the university system forward. Let us stop this brain drain and rescue our universities,” Ugoh added.
The protesting lecturers carried placards with various messages and chanted solidarity songs, calling on the federal government to act urgently to revitalise universities, implement agreements, and allow autonomy in the management of the institutions.
