The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation of deliberately stalling the payment of lecturers’ promotion arrears and monthly salaries, warning that the delays are fuelling restiveness on university campuses .
ASUU National President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, made the allegations during a press conference in Jos on Friday, where he read the union’s communiqué following its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, 2026 .
“The federal ministry of finance has deliberately stalled the payment of our promotion arrears and its foot dragging tactics in the release of our monthly salaries is becoming a trigger for restiveness on our campuses,” Piwuna said .
The union also accused the Office of the Accountant General of withholding the remittance of pension contributions to lecturers’ Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), describing the situation as a serious cause for concern .
Unpaid Withheld Salaries from 2022 Strike
Piwuna expressed strong dissatisfaction over the continued non-payment of the outstanding balance of three-and-a-half months’ salaries owed to lecturers following the 2022 nationwide strike . While the union had applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s initial pro-labour disposition for paying four out of the seven-and-half months’ salaries withheld by the previous administration, the non-payment of the balance has left a “strong bitter taste in the mouths of ASUU members” .
“The repeated union’s arguments that its members made extraordinary sacrifice to cover the lost ground during the provoked-strike action and that paying the withheld salaries would further cement industrial harmony on the university campuses appear to have fallen on deaf ears. This is a sad development,” Piwuna stated .
The union also demanded the immediate payment of the 25/35 per cent wage award and promotion arrears owed to its members, warning that the continued delay was increasing frustration among lecturers.
However, the Federal Government had earlier announced that it released ₦2.3 billion in October 2025 to clear salary and promotion arrears for university-based unions . The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed that the disbursements, processed through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, were part of the government’s resolve to clear inherited backlogs and enhance staff welfare .
Alausa further revealed that the government was finalising the release of third-party non-statutory deductions and pension remittances to NUPEMCO . He assured that the government would only enter into agreements that are “realistic and financially sustainable” and that all commitments must align with approved budgetary provisions
Despite the government’s assurances, ASUU has authorised affected branches in more than 20 federal and state universities to commence processes leading to industrial action over the non-implementation of the December 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement . The union gave the affected governments and university authorities a 14-day ultimatum to address the outstanding issues .
ASUU described the implementation of the 2025 Agreement as “haphazard,” noting that only about 10 per cent or fewer state governors had openly endorsed the new salary package for academics . At the federal level, Vice-Chancellors are struggling to implement the financial component of the Agreement due to non-funding of monthly salary bills by the government .
An emergency NEC meeting is scheduled for the coming weeks to reappraise the state of implementation and chart a decisive way forward .
Discussion about this post