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By Gabriel Dike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that the failure of the Federal Government to implement the signed agreement, payment of withheld salary is threatening the fragile peace in public universities nationwide.
The union debunked the claim by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, that government had met all demands of the union and that ASUU cannot contemplate going on strike.
Coordinator of ASUU Lagos Zone, Prof. Adesola Nassir, disclosed this at a briefing on the status of the implementation of the 2025 FGN/ASUU agreement and engagement with government on the fall outs from the implementation, yesterday.
Prof. Nassir said five years after the signing of the agreement, members nationwide became agitated about the government’s failure to implement the agreement, payment of amputated salary and allowance.
According to him, one of the low hanging fruits from the agreement is the salary component as captured by the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances (CATA), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and Professorial Allowances (PA).
He added that these allowances were supposed to be mainstreamed into the Consolidated Academic Staff Salary Scale (CONUASS) as monthly salary packages from January 2026.
He said events that unfolded after the celebrated unveiling of the agreement were confirming members’ suspicion that the government is more interested in using the signing ceremony to score political points rather than frontally addressing the issues that informed the disruptions.
He appreciated the position of the Federal Government to encourage university administration to implement the salary aspect of the agreement as a stop-gap pending the signing of the 2026 budget.
“We are perturbed that the government failed to take into consideration the strength of each university to adequately cover the shortfall in the salary component of recurrent cost.
“The consequence has been haphazard implementation which is at variance with the government’s assertion that it has implemented that aspect of the agreement.
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“We are also equally disturbed that the government’s attitude has not convinced the system that it has the commitment and capacity to reimburse the universities of the various amounts mobilised to rescue the situation as it were,” he argued.
The coordinator said the union was also disturbed that many visitors to the state-owned universities were playing the ostrich on the implementation of agreement in their respective universities, even with the knowledge that representatives of their Governing Councils and universities participated in the process leading to the evolution of the agreement.
He warned that the issue if not addressed, has the potential to shatter the industrial peace in the institutions.
He confirmed that four state universities, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ekiti State University and Osun State University have keyed into the agreement.
He called on the Lagos State Government to as a matter of urgency, commence the implementation of the agreement without delay.
“We are aware that the three universities belonging to the state, including Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) and Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), have reached out to the government on the implementation.
“We urge the Visitor, Mr Babajide Sawo-Olu, to immediately wade into the matter and arrest any possible staff disenchantment and dispute over this matter.
“If any state should be the first to implement the agreement, and even enhance it, it should be Lagos State for many obvious reasons,” he stated.
He revealed that the union had chosen to present members’ frustration to the Nigerian public as the fragile peace in the universities has continued to be threatened by the government’s lack of will to keep faith with its responsibilities.
He added: “Our membership is being oppressed by the government. This cannot be allowed to continue. Our members across the country have been briefed on the status of our engagement with the government, particularly on the implementation of the agreement and other matters.”
He stressed that Lagos zone, made up of seven universities, was solidly with the ASUU at national level in respect of any direction taken on the matter.
