ASUU: Tinubu’s 40% pay rise stalls as varsities delay implementation

The 40 per cent salary increase approved by President Bola Tinubu for university lecturers has triggered fresh industrial unrest across the country, with lecturers in some institutions already on strike and others threatening to down tools over delayed implementation.

While some universities have commenced payment, others are negotiating with their managements and state governments, leaving lecturers in several institutions without the new salary more than eight months after the agreement was reached, Sunday PUNCH can report.

The development has raised fresh concerns about the stability of the country’s tertiary education system, barely eight months after the Federal Government and ASUU reached a new agreement intended to address the perennial disputes over lecturers’ remuneration, allowances, funding and other conditions of service.

Under the agreement, the 40 per cent salary increase was to take effect from January 1, 2026, alongside revised allowances and other provisions aimed at improving the welfare of university academics.

The latest development followed the National Executive Council meeting of ASUU held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, where the union directed its branches in 20 defaulting universities to issue 14-day ultimatums to their authorities over the implementation of the agreement.

The union’s Benin and Yola zones had earlier issued warnings covering 11 other state universities across Edo, Delta, Ondo, Adamawa, Borno, Taraba and Yobe states, threatening industrial action if the authorities failed to address the salary and related issues.

With the ultimatums running, union officials in some of the affected universities told Sunday PUNCH that lecturers were preparing for possible industrial action, while some university authorities and governments said discussions were ongoing to prevent another shutdown of academic activities.

Lecturers at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, and Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, have continued their indefinite strike action over the matter.

The AAUA ASUU Chairman, Bolu Oshodi, said the union was not prepared to rely on announcements without seeing the money in lecturers’ accounts.

“We will call off the strike when we receive alerts in our bank accounts. Alert of the implementation and the arrears starting from January, that is when we will suspend the strike,” he said.

His OAUSTECH counterpart, Ogunbamike Kehinde, said the same position applied to his members.

The Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, however, confirmed to Sunday PUNCH that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had approved the funds but said the payment was going through administrative processes.

“The governor has approved the payment of the money, but the payment has to pass through some processes which is ongoing. Very soon they will begin to get their alerts,” he said.

Meanwhile, lecturers at Plateau State University, Bokkos, have threatened to withdraw their services if the state government fails to implement the salary increase.

ASUU Chairman in the institution, Dr Vincent Choji, said the union had issued an ultimatum which expires on August 18.

“Here in Plateau State University, the implementation has not started. That’s why we are agitating to go on strike,” he said.

Also, the Kaduna State University lecturers have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the university management and the state government over the non-implementation of the salary increase.

The ASUU chairman in the university, Abubakar Abdullahi, told Sunday PUNCH that the lecturers were disappointed that the increase had not been implemented more than eight months after the agreement was signed.

“More than eight months after the agreement was signed, KASU is yet to commence its implementation, while almost all federal universities and several state universities have either implemented the agreement or announced timelines for its implementation, including the payment of accrued arrears,” he said.

At the two Kano State-owned universities, Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, and Northwest University, Kano, Sunday PUNCH gathered that payment had yet to commence.

The state ASUU chairman, Dr Aliyu Ahmad, said the government had approved implementation from September, while arrears from January to August would be provided for in the 2027 budget.

“The state government has approved N228.19m for the implementation, comprising N141.08m for academic staff and N87.11m for non-teaching staff,” he said.

Similarly, the Chairman of the ASUU at the Abia State University, Uturu, Chidi Mba, told Sunday PUNCH that the university had not commenced payment of the 40 per cent increase, adding that the issue formed part of the union’s demands in its ongoing industrial action.

“Abia State University is yet to pay, just like many other universities in the country,” Mba said.

However, the university lecturers have suspended their industrial action on Friday.

Efforts to obtain the comment of the ASUU chairman of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof Rosetta Eneje, were unsuccessful as she declined to comment on the matter.

However, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Anyaso Anyaso, said the institution’s position was not different from that of other universities that had yet to commence payment.

“If other universities have not paid, the same applies to the school,” he said.

Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of ABSU, Chijioke Nwogu, confirmed that discussions were ongoing between the university and the union.

“Universities are discussing, and this formed part of ASUU’s recent strike,” he said.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the ASUU Chairman of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Dr Chuka Ebodili, said lecturers in the five state-owned universities had yet to be paid the increase.

Institutions were currently engaging the Delta State Government on the matter rather than immediately resorting to industrial action.

“No, we have not started receiving anything of such. As I am speaking with you, none of the five universities owned by the Delta State Government has started receiving the 40 per cent salary increase.

“If nothing happens by September and the governor does not fulfil the promise, we will join others. But if they implement their own aspect, then there will be no need for that,” he said.

This was as the immediate past Chairman of the ASUU, Akwa Ibom State University chapter, Iyang Udosen, told Sunday PUNCH that the union was still awaiting implementation of the financial provisions of the Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

“We have written series of letters to the authorities, to the management concerned, but no response yet,” Udosen said.

But the Imo State University ASUU Chairman, Stephen Oguji, said the agreement was yet to be implemented at the university.

“It is actually that 40 per cent that we are fighting for in the 2025 ASUU agreement. It has not been implemented,” he said.

At Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, the ASUU chairman, Prof Bruno Ikuli, told Sunday PUNCH that implementation of the broader agreement remained incomplete.

“The 40 per cent is the salary increment, but we also have allowances, responsibility allowance, professorial allowance and other entitlements that have to be addressed,” he said.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the industrial dispute at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, goes beyond the 40 per cent salary increase.

The ASUU Chairman of the university, Terseer Abari, said the university had implemented only some components of the agreement.

“The university had only paid the Consolidated Academic Staff Salaries and the Earned Academic Allowance components of the salaries to date.

“The remaining two components, Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Professorial Allowance, have only been paid in January and February 2026, while only 39 per cent of the CATA for March 2026 has also been paid,” he said.

However, at Moses Adasu University, formerly Benue State University, the ASUU chairman, Sule Ako, said implementation had commenced.

“The 40 per cent increase in salary is an item in the 2025 government-ASUU agreement and our university has started the implementation,” he said.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, ASUU chairperson, Prof Florence Orabueze, said the institution resorted to its IGR to sustain the payment.

“The Vice Chancellor is not owing us anything; it is just that the Federal Government is not giving them the money for the payment. The problem is that the government is not releasing the money,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sunday PUNCH gathered that lecturers at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology signed an MoU with the Enugu State Government on August 20 for implementation of the new salary structure from September 1.

The chairman of ASUU at the university, Dr Andrew Apeh, said the agreement also provided for a joint committee to determine how outstanding Earned Academic Allowances would be paid.

He said the process was expected to run from September to January 3, 2027.

However, Apeh said the branch had not yet suspended its strike.

“We have not called off or suspended the strike. Only that we have gotten to a suitable state,” he said.

In Imo State, lecturers at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education have started receiving the new payment, while their counterparts at Imo State University remain on strike.

The FUTO ASUU chairman, Chinedu Ihejirika, said lecturers were receiving the new salary as well as CATA, EAA, Professorial Allowance and Responsibility Allowance.

“ASUU-FUTO has signed the agreement and we are being paid the new salary. We receive CATA, EAA, Professorial Allowance and Responsibility Allowance,” he said.

Also, lecturers at Bayero University have received the 40 per cent increase for seven months.

The ASUU chairman, Prof Ibrahim Siraj, said the university sourced funds locally to pay the increase from January to July before the Federal Government refunded the money.

“Yes, BUK has been paying the 40 per cent salary increase. The university sourced the money locally and has so far paid for seven months, January to July, and later the Federal Government refunded the money.

“But for this month, August, the university management said they cannot pay us if they do not get cash backing from the Federal Government,” he said.

Speaking on the matter, the ASUU Chairman at the University of Uyo, Prof Opeyemi Olajide, said the financial component of the agreement had commenced, although some allowances had not been paid consistently.

“With regard to the financial component, we have enjoyed it up to June, apart from last month, the Earned Academic Allowance was not paid with our salaries. Even, the university did not start paying EAA from January. It was in the month of June that they paid us six months’ arrears,” he said.

This was as a former ASUU chairman at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof Almustapha Ibrahim, said lecturers at the institution were not currently owed arrears arising from the salary adjustment.

“UDUS is not owing any outstanding. However, members of the union cannot categorically say whether they will receive the money at the end of every month.

“The university had exhausted the money it set aside for the purpose and appealed to the Federal Government to sort it out. After that, five months’ arrears were recently paid,” he said.

On state-owned universities in Sokoto, he said the state government had recently approved the 40 per cent adjustment for lecturers but had yet to address other provisions of the agreement.