ASUU protests sweep campuses as FG awaits final showdown

By Isaac Joseph Inyang

University campuses across Nigeria ground to a halt on Tuesday as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged coordinated protests nationwide, raising alarm over unresolved demands and warning of looming strike action.

At the University of Uyo (UniUyo), lecturers shut down both campuses and suspended scheduled examinations in response to lingering grievances, including the non-completion of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU–FGN agreement and withheld salaries. Prof. Opeyemi Olajide, ASUU UniUyo Chair, lamented that lecturers have remained on stagnant pay scales for 16 years and decried the lack of infrastructure funding.

Chapters at UNILAG, UNN, and other institutions saw complete suspension of academic activities, with lecturers mounting protests through the campuses and calling attention to long-standing unfulfilled demands. BusinessDay quoted a UNILAG ASUU leader saying, “We have been silent for too long… ASUU is tired.”

In Maiduguri, ASUU members denounced the Federal Government’s N150,000 retirement benefit as “a national disgrace” during protests. The nationwide demonstrations also condemned the recently introduced Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) loan scheme, rejecting it in favor of direct payment of salary and promotion arrears.

ASUU reiterated frustration over the government’s failure to act on the Yayale Ahmed–led renegotiation report, submitted in February 2025. The union held the FG responsible for repeating broken promises and warned that the August 28 meeting offers the final window to avoid disruption.

At the University of Calabar, ASUU-UCB Chair Dr. Peter Ubi declared that failure to address unresolved issues, including the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, sustainable funding, and victimisation of members, would provoke a “mother of all strikes.”

Supporters joined the protests in Ibadan and Oyo, where the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) marched alongside ASUU. At the University of Ibadan, Dr. Adefemi Afolabi warned that prolonged neglect could trigger a new round of nationwide industrial action.