The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Government of Nigeria of failing to fully implement the 2025 FG/ASUU Agreement, just five months after both parties signed it to stabilise the nation’s university system.
ASUU, Abuja Zone, raised the alarm during a press briefing held at Nasarawa State University Keffi on Monday, warning that continued neglect of key provisions could trigger fresh industrial action across public universities.
The union directly countered claims by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who recently stated that the agreement had been fully implemented.
According to ASUU, lecturers across federal and state universities are still facing unpaid entitlements, salary shortfalls, pension irregularities, and inconsistent welfare payments.
Speaking at the briefing, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Abuja Zone, Adamu Al-Abdullahi, said the reality in universities does not reflect the government’s position.
“It is exactly five months since the fanfare that accompanied the signing of the FG/ASUU Agreement after a protracted negotiation spanning eight years. However, the claim that the FG has fully implemented the agreement is far from the realities on ground in federal universities,” he said.
The union accused the Federal Government of failing to establish the Implementation Monitoring Committee meant to ensure uniform execution of the agreement across institutions.
ASUU also alleged that universities were being allowed to implement the agreement inconsistently, leading to selective payment of allowances such as the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, Earned Academic Allowance, and Professorial Allowance.
The union further criticised several state governments for allegedly withdrawing from commitments made during negotiations, despite having representatives at the table.
Beyond implementation issues, ASUU listed unresolved welfare concerns including salary arrears, promotion arrears, withheld salaries linked to the 2022 strike, unpaid pension contributions, and unremitted deductions.
The union also faulted the continued enforcement of the “No Work, No Pay” policy, arguing that academic work extends beyond physical classroom presence to research and community service.
ASUU further raised concerns over pension delays affecting retired lecturers and alleged that some state universities lack functional pension systems entirely.
The union also questioned irregularities in university governance, including controversial academic appointments such as “Professor of Practice” and “Diaspora Professors,” which it claims bypass established procedures.
ASUU warned that unless urgent steps are taken, tensions could escalate again in Nigeria’s already fragile university system, which has suffered repeated disruptions over unresolved agreements.
