Tension is rippling through the campuses of Nigeria’s public universities once again. After a four-day marathon meeting in Yola that ended on Monday, May 11, 2026, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has signaled that the “ghost of strikes past” is returning to haunt the nation’s education sector.
The Warning Shot from Yola
Professor Christopher Piwuna, the ASUU President, did not mince words during the press briefing at Modibbo Adama University. He revealed that the union’s National Executive Council has directed the calling of an emergency NEC meeting within weeks. In the language of Nigerian labor relations, an “emergency NEC” is almost always the final precursor to a strike declaration.
For millions of students who only recently returned to a stable academic rhythm, the news is a devastating blow. “I am in my final year,” said Tunde Ajayi, a student at the University of Lagos. “Every time ASUU and the government start this dance, it is our lives that are put on hold. We were told the 2025 agreement solved everything. Why are we back here?”
A Trail of Broken Promises
The source of the “pent-up anger” brewing among lecturers is a long list of unresolved welfare issues that many Nigerians thought had been buried with the signing of the December 2025 Pact.
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The Salary Shortfall: Many lecturers are still experiencing mysterious deductions via the IPPIS platform.
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The Withheld Salaries: The three-and-half months’ salaries withheld during the 2022 strike remains a major point of contention.
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Promotion Arrears: Some lecturers have been promoted for three or four years without receiving the corresponding salary adjustments.
The union is also furious about the “No Work, No Pay” policy, which the government continues to enforce despite the union’s argument that research and community service never stopped during their industrial actions.
The Battle for the Soul of the University
It isn’t just about the money this time. ASUU is sounding the alarm on several new government policies that they claim will ruin the quality of Nigerian degrees:
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Scrapping of “Social Science” Courses: The union has rejected the Education Minister’s plan to eliminate certain humanities courses, calling it a “short-sighted” move that ignores the importance of a well-rounded education.
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Digital Privacy: The union is opposing the compulsory enrollment of lecturers in the Nigeria Education Repository Databank (NERD), citing concerns over data protection and academic freedom.
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The Bosso Campus Conflict: The attempted takeover of the Federal University of Technology, Minna’s Bosso campus by the Niger State Government was condemned as a dangerous precedent for the seizure of federal assets.
“Don’t Blame Us, Blame the Government”
ASUU has appealed to “well-meaning Nigerians”—parents, traditional rulers, and religious leaders—to intervene before the emergency NEC meeting. The union’s message is simple: they do not want to strike, but they cannot work in a system that “distorts” its agreements and treats its intellectuals with “disinterestedness.”
As the deadline for the emergency meeting approaches, the federal capital is buzzing with rumors of frantic back-channel negotiations. But for the Nigerian parent, the question remains: will the 2025 agreement be the bridge to a new era, or just another paper promise that leads back to locked gates and empty lecture halls?
