August 31, (THEWILL) — Nigeria’s public university system is once again facing a potentially serious disruption, with lecturers across campuses holding coordinated protests and warning that a full strike could follow if government delays continue over wage increment and entitlements.
Demonstrations took place on August 26 at several institutions and union leaders indicated that nationwide action remains on the table. Meetings were scheduled in Abuja to calm the situation, but the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said no formal invitation was received and stressed that dialogue without firm decisions would not be enough. The prospect of another shutdown of universities has drawn widespread concern from students, parents and education stakeholders who recall how recent strikes paralysed learning for months at a time.
The roots of this dispute lie in the renegotiated 2009 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government, a deal that has been revisited through successive panels without reaching final implementation. Draft proposals developed by Nimi Briggs and earlier negotiators set out pay structures and funding commitments, but the government insists that what exists is still only a draft. It referred the matter to the Yayale Ahmed committee, which submitted its report in February 2025, though it insists a new counter-proposal must go through legal review before any signing can take place. For union members, this drawn-out process has become a cycle of promises and panels that never seem to yield enforceable outcomes.
One of the issues that has stirred the greatest anger among lecturers is their level of pay. Professors at the top end earn around ₦525,000 a month, a salary that has barely shifted in more than a decade. University leaders and union officials argue that the figure no longer matches living costs or the demands of modern academic work, which includes teaching, research and supervision duties.
Government wage awards of 25 per cent and 35 per cent announced last year have not been fully implemented across the system, leaving many staff without the increments promised to them. Unpaid promotion arrears and deductions have added to the frustration, feeding into a wider sense of neglect.
The handling of salaries withheld during the 2022 strike has also left deep resentment. That stoppage lasted eight months before it was ended by a court order, but the government withheld pay in line with its “no work, no pay” stance.
A partial concession came in October 2023, when President Bola Tinubu approved the release of four months’ arrears, but 3.5 months remain outstanding. Union leaders have placed the issue at the centre of their latest demands, describing it as a test of good faith. Until the arrears are fully cleared, they argue, lecturers cannot trust that future agreements will be honoured.
Financial pledges have been another point of contention. In April 2025, the government announced that ₦50 billion had been released to settle backlogs of earned academic allowances and promised to mainstream such payments into the annual budget. There was also mention of ₦150 billion to support revitalisation of public universities, including infrastructure upgrades. While staff unions acknowledge that the allowances were paid, they say no tangible evidence of the revitalisation funds has reached campuses. Conditions in many institutions remain difficult, with outdated laboratories, weak electricity supply and overcrowded lecture halls hampering teaching and research.
Beyond salaries and funding, the payroll system itself has been a continuing source of friction. The Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, used by the government to manage public sector pay, has often produced delays and errors for academic staff. Lecturers complain that cooperative dues and pension deductions have not always been remitted, and that the system undermines university autonomy. ASUU has promoted its alternative platform, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, and continues to press for its adoption. While officials say reforms are under way, many staff members see little improvement in their day-to-day experience of getting paid.
The impact on students is never far from view. During this week’s protests, some universities postponed examinations and lectures so that staff could take part in the demonstrations. For many students and their families, this raised the fear that another long disruption may be looming. The eight-month closure in 2022 remains fresh in memory and the system has still not fully recovered from the lost academic time. Each stoppage creates further delays in graduation, undermines morale and places public universities at a disadvantage compared to private institutions that continue to run uninterrupted.
Government officials have responded with assurances that universities remain open and stable, but these messages have not reduced tension. Education Minister, Tunji Alausa has said that a counter-proposal is being prepared and that legal vetting is needed to prevent agreements from collapsing at the implementation stage. From the union’s side, there is little patience left for what it sees as endless delays. Leaders argue that what is required now is a binding document with dates, figures and responsibilities spelled out. Meetings without concrete outcomes, they warn, will only drive lecturers back to the picket lines.
A new initiative put forward by the government is a staff loan scheme designed to support lecturers with access to credit. ASUU has dismissed the proposal, calling it a distraction from the central issues of pay, arrears and funding. Union leaders said loans cannot substitute for fair salaries or solve the underlying problems of underfunding. The rejection shows how strained relations have become, with trust eroded to the point where even welfare schemes are met with suspicion. Lecturers at recent rallies held up placards demanding signed agreements and immediate release of funds rather than debt options.
I believe that breaking the cycle will require more than rhetoric. A workable plan would need to address urgent issues such as withheld salaries and arrears, while also setting a clear schedule for wage award payments and revitalisation funding. Both sides would have to agree to independent monitoring to track progress, with students’ unions and governing councils included so that campus-level needs are represented. Such a plan should be publicly released and legally vetted, to prevent future disputes about what was promised. Only a transparent approach, backed by visible action, can rebuild trust between lecturers and the state.
ASUU also has a role in ensuring clarity and accountability within its ranks. When agreements are reached, communication at branch level will be vital to avoid mixed signals that allow the government to delay. Students, who are the ultimate victims of prolonged disputes, deserve to be part of the process too. Their voices can keep pressure on both sides and remind negotiators that the stakes are not abstract but measured in years of lost time and missed opportunities. For a country seeking to grow its skilled workforce, the risk of leaving a generation stranded in academic limbo is too high.
Political leaders like to say education is a priority. It will only feel that way when lecturers are paid on time and can plan their lives, when laboratories are not museums of old equipment and when students can count on graduating when due. Nigeria cannot grow the skills it needs while its flagship institutions operate in stop-start mode. The window for a fair deal still exists. I implore both sides should treat this week’s event as the last nudge before a full breakdown and deliver a binding, costed agreement that keeps campuses open and gives public universities a fighting chance to do their work.
